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. 2024 Mar 21;17(6):1449.
doi: 10.3390/ma17061449.

Foaming and Physico-Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer Pastes Manufactured from Post-Metallurgical Recycled Slag

Mateusz Sitarz  1 , Tomasz Zdeb  1 , Katarzyna Mróz  1 , Izabela Hager  1 , Kinga Setlak  2
Affiliations

Foaming and Physico-Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer Pastes Manufactured from Post-Metallurgical Recycled Slag

Mateusz Sitarz et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

This paper presents a research program aimed towards developing a method of producing lightweight, porous geopolymer composites for the construction industry based on industrial wastes. A direct method involving the addition of chemicals is currently most commonly used to produce the porous mineral structure of a geopolymer matrix. This relies on a reaction in a highly alkaline environment of the geopolymer to produce a gas (usually hydrogen or oxygen) that forms vesicles and creates a network of pores. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of producing a slag-based geopolymer paste foamed with aluminum powder, taking into account different parameters of fresh paste production: the mixing duration, its speed and the timing of foaming agent addition. The foaming process of the fresh paste in terms of the volumetric changes and temperature development of the fresh paste during the curing of the material are observed. After hardening, the physical properties (density and porosity) as well as the mechanical parameters (compressive strength and work of damage) are determined for the nine manufactured foamed pastes. Image analysis software was used to assess the porosity distribution of the material across the cross-section of the samples. The results enabled the design of the mixing procedure to be adopted during the manufacture of such composites.

Keywords: foamed geopolymer; industry waste; paste; pore size distribution; porous materials; stereology; work of damage.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
XRD diffractogram of post-metallurgical slag.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The size distribution of the slag particles: (a) distribution of volume shares; (b) cumulative distribution of volume shares.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mixing patterns of foamed geopolymer.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Test stand for measuring volume and temperature changes over time.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Tests of hardened foamed geopolymer: (a) surface preparation of specimens; (b) compressive strength testing.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Volume and temperature changes versus the time of hardening of foamed geopolymer as a function of the mixing method.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Representative stress–strain curves of foamed geopolymers produced by different mixing methods.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Properties of foamed geopolymers: (a) apparent density, (b) porosity—He picnometer, (c) compressive strength, (d) work of damage.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Selected parameters describing the porosity of a foamed geopolymer: (a) total porosity—stereological measurement; (b) pores’ SSA; (c) number of pores per 1 cm2.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Image-based porosity analysis for (a) GP_4II_Al0, (b) GP_6I_Al0.2_2I+2II.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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