Alkaline Activation of Ferrous Foundry Sand: A Look at the Effect of Activator Concentration, Liquid-Solid Ratio and Curing Temperature

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

In this study, ferrous foundry slag was used as a precursor for the synthesis of a geopolymer. The effect of NaOH concentration, liquid solid ratio (L/S), and curing temperature on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the synthesized geopolymer was investigated. The optimum concentration was found to be 15 M as it yielded a geopolymer brick with the highest UCS of 8.2 MPa. It was observed that as the concentration of NaOH increases the dissolution of alumina, calcium and silica increases resulting in higher UCS. The SEM results showed zeolite formation in large quantities at 15 M which shows that the geopolymerization reaction was near completion and the calcium, alumina and silicates dissolved in large quantities leading to increased gelling of C-S-H and C-A-H over time filling more pores inside the geopolymer brick. The liquid to the solid ratio that gave the highest UCS of 8.2 MPa was 0.15. The optimum temperature was found to be 80 ℃. This increased temperature favoured the dissolution of reactive species and contributed to higher UCS. The results reveal that ferrous foundry sand geopolymers have the potential to be used as a building and construction material.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationKey Engineering Materials
PublisherTrans Tech Publications Ltd
Pages111-116
Number of pages6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Publication series

NameKey Engineering Materials
Volume947
ISSN (Print)1013-9826
ISSN (Electronic)1662-9795

Keywords

  • Alkaline activation
  • compressive strength
  • Ferrous foundry sand
  • sodium hydroxide

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Alkaline Activation of Ferrous Foundry Sand: A Look at the Effect of Activator Concentration, Liquid-Solid Ratio and Curing Temperature'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this