An Explorative Study On Quarry Dust Blended Geo Polymer Concrete For Various Concentrations Of Alkaline Activated Solution

Abstract

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is the major ingredient used in concrete. The production of cement releases large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere that significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that one ton of CO2 is released into the atmosphere for every ton of OPC produced. This project mainly aims at the study of effect of concentration of alkaline activated solution on the properties of geo polymer concrete (GPC) with the replacement of fine aggregate with quarry dust using sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions as alkaline activator. The replacement of sand with quarry dust in GPC mix enhanced the mechanical properties at ambient room temperature curing at all ages. The Geo-polymers are comprised of alumina-silicate materials which completely replaces the Portland cement in concrete. The alumina-silicate materials which are dissolved in alkaline activated solution i.e., Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide which subsequently polymerizes into molecular chains and networks to create the hardened binder which are referred  as inorganic polymer cements. The main objective of this project is to investigate the compressive strengths for various concentrations of alkaline activated solution with the replacement of river sand by quarry dust. The Mix design procedure is examined with M-20 grade of geo polymer concrete. The compressive strength and workability of the concrete are studied for various grades of the Geo-polymer concrete.