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Effect of Mass Ratio and Milling on Compressive Strength and Corrosion Resistance of Blast-Furnace Slag/Fly Ash Geopolymer Activated by Solid Alkali Activator

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Abstract

Fly ash and granulated blast-furnace slag can be considered "multifunctional waste." This study is focused on properties of a non-cement binder prepared from slag and fly ash activated by solid alkali activator. Fly ash was milled (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 min) in order to increase its reactivity, and particle size distribution, specific surface area, and grain morphology were determined for all milled FA samples. Two GBFS + FA mixtures (70:30 and 85:15 w/w) were studied. Prepared mixtures were activated by solid alkali activator (Na2SiO3). Optimal weight ratios were calculated for CaO, SiO2, and Al2O3 components. Properties of the mixtures were studied in dependence on the GBFS:FA mass ratio and FA milling time (0–7.5 min). After 2 and 28 days of hydration, compressive strength of all mixtures exceeded 20 and 60 MPa, respectively. The 85:15 ratio led to generally higher compressive strength 108.3 MPa was reached after 90 days using FA milled for 7.5 min. Corrosion resistance was tested by exposing mixtures to distilled water, 0.5% HCl, and 3% Na2SO4 for 65 days, and evaluated by measuring changes in CS. Also the corrosion resistance was found higher (Na2SO4) than and comparable (HCl, water) to the 70:30 ratio. This study aims to show that GBFS + FA mixtures (70:30 and 85:15 w/w) activated by solid Na2SiO3 can achieve high CS and good corrosion resistance.

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Abbreviations

AA:

Alkali activator

AAM:

Alkali-activated material

AAS:

Alkali-activated slag

BD:

Bulk density

BET:

Brunauer–Emmett–Teller

BFS:

Blast-furnace slag

CS:

Compressive strength

DoH:

Days of hydration

FA:

Fly ash

GBFS:

Granulated blast-furnace slag

GPC:

Geopolymer Portland cement

PC:

Portland cement

SAA:

Solid alkali activator

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

SSA:

Specific surface area

XRFS:

X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

XRPD:

X-ray powder diffraction

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Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic via the “Institute of Environmental Technology—Excellent Research” project [Grant Number CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000853]; the “Research on the management of waste, materials and other products of metallurgy and related sectors” project [Grant Number CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17_049/0008426]; and the SGS projects [Grant Numbers SP2022/13 and SP2022/68].

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  1. Department of Thermal Engineering, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology, Institute of Environmental Technology, CEET, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 17. Listopadu 2172/15, 708 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Hana Ovčačíková, Petra Maierová & Marek Velička

  2. Institute of Environmental Technology, CEET, Nanotechnology Centre, CEET, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 17. Listopadu 2172/15, 708 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Jonáš Tokarský

  3. Centre for Advanced Innovation Technology, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 17. Listopadu 2172/15, 708 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Petra Matějková

  4. Královopolská a.S., Křižíkova 2989/68a, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Jiří Olšanský

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Ovčačíková, H., Tokarský, J., Maierová, P. et al. Effect of Mass Ratio and Milling on Compressive Strength and Corrosion Resistance of Blast-Furnace Slag/Fly Ash Geopolymer Activated by Solid Alkali Activator. J. Sustain. Metall. 8, 1961–1974 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-022-00618-5

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