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Mixing and curing of geopolymers and related alkali-activated materials without storage and handling of highly alkaline solutions possesses advantages regarding safety and economic viability; one possible approach is to produce these materials from solid silica feedstocks and solid sodium aluminate, and subsequent mixing with water. We present a comparison between geopolymers and geopolymer-zeolite composites synthesized by this route from different silica feedstocks (by-product silica from chlorosilane production, microsilica, rice husk ash) and with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios, using results from XRD, NMR, SEM, thermal analysis, mechanical and acid resistance testing. The use of rice husk ash favors formation of a fully amorphous geopolymer with high strength. Utilization of the other silica feedstocks leads to formation of geopolymer-zeolite composites, the amount and kind of zeolites depending on the feedstock and the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio. These composites show beneficial dehydration behavior, viz. no distinct dehydration step of thermal strain, with the phase assemblage after heating to 1000 °C controlled by the starting composition. Mortars produced from both, the geopolymers as well as the compo¬sites, exhibit high resistance to sulfuric acid attack, making them promising materials for the construction and the repair of industrial and sewer structures.
One-part geopolymers (OPGs) are a sort of alkali-activated materials (AAMs) which production avoids the use of highly-alkaline activator-solutions and contributes to a better acceptance of alternative mineral binders in terms of safety-related and economic aspects. In the present contribution OPGs were synthesized by blending silica sources (two industrial silicas and two biogenic silicas) with sodium aluminate and only water must be added to initiate the hardening, i.e. mixing is performed in the same way as for conventional Portland cements. The OPGs were characterized by XRD, and SEM and the degrees of reaction of the silicas were determined by a chemical dissolution method.
The industrial silicas led to the formation of geopolymer-zeolite composites, that contained, besides geopolymeric gel, crystalline tectosilicates (e.g. zeolite A and hydrosodalite) and depending on the starting composition also unreacted silica. The biogenic silicas provided a higher reactivity and avoided the formation of crystallite by-products. The differences in the microstructures caused differences in the mechanical strength of the specimens.
The treatment of the OPG composites at moderate elevated temperatures revealed promising behavior on thermal dehydration in terms of shrinkage and residual strength up to 700 °C. Above 700 °C sintering and partial melting occurred, and new phase formation commenced. After exposure to 1000 °C the specimens appeared virtually amorphous or formed stuffed silica structures of nepheline- or carnegieite-type type.
The investigations of the OPG based mortars on their resistance against sulfuric acid in accordance with DIN 19573 (Appendix A) revealed very high residual strengths up to 78 % after treatment with H2SO4 (pH 1) for 70d. A mechanism of dissolution of the primary aluminosilicate reaction products of the pastes and the precipitation of a silica gel that protects the remaining aluminosilicates and decelerates further corrosion was found to be the main reason for the good performance under acidic conditions. The addition of CaO-containing feedstocks enhanced hardening, but at a certain content the resistance against sulfuric acid decreased, due to the formation of gypsum on exposure to sulfate.
In addition, the mortars exhibited excellent shrinkage behavior as well as good bond to concrete substrates with pull-off strength up to > 3 MPa. The workability of the fresh mortars provided very good manual applicability; automatic applications such as sprayed and spun mortars will require further optimization regarding rheological properties. In summary, the studied OPG are promising materials for the construction and the repair of concrete structures, such as sewers, that are affected by biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion.
Materials with a high acid resistance are required in different important infrastructures. Examples include repair systems for sewer structures, where biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion is the major degradation mechanism. Low-calcium alkali-activated materials (AAMs) have been repeatedly observed to exhibit high acid resistance. However, the reasons for the high acid resistance of these materials were not fully under¬stood until recently, and the use of highly alkaline activator solutions to produce AAMs appears to hamper their commercial uptake. These issues have been tackled by characterising one-part AAMs and studying their alteration when exposed to sulfuric acid.
One-part AAMs were synthesized by mixing blends of solid silica and sodium aluminate with water, and subsequent curing at 60–80 °C. Acid resistance testing was performed according to DIN 19573, i.e. exposure to sulfuric acid at pH = 1 for 70 days. Characterisation of the cured and the acid-exposed materials was done by XRD, ATR-FTIR, SEM as well as 29Si, 27Al and 1H MAS NMR spectroscopy, including cross-polarisation and double-resonance methods.
Materials synthesized from industrial silicas were gel-zeolite composites, containing a substantial amount of unreacted ‘excess’ silica, while materials synthesized from rice husk ash were fully amorphous, containing ‘excess’ hydrous alumina. The sulfuric acid resistance of mortars based on these binders conformed to the requirements of DIN 19573 for sewer repair applications. The high acid resistance was caused by precipitation of silica gel at the mortar–solution interface, inhibiting further degradation. The presence of alumina gel may inhibit bacterial activity, potentially further improving performance in sewer environments.
The phase assemblage of silica/sodium aluminate-based one-part AAMs can be adjusted via choice of the silica starting material. Properly designed materials exhibit excellent acid resistance, caused by precipi¬tation of silica gel which protects subjacent regions, and they may also inhibit bacterial activity.
Alkali-activated materials have been repeatedly reported to exhibit high acid resistance, but no generally accepted hypothesis regarding the underlying mechanisms has emerged yet. To contribute to this issue, K-waterglass-activated metakaolin specimens, with and without the addition of CuSO4·5H2O in the starting mix, were exposed to either a chemically aggressive sewer environment (mortars) or sulfuric acid (pastes). The mode of copper incorporation in the materials and the formation of copper phases in the corroded layers were studied by XANES at the Cu K-edge, and 29Si, 27Al and 1H MAS NMR was employed to understand the processes during acid attack. Copper was found as a spertiniite-like phase in the as-cured materials, while in the deterioration layers of the pastes it was present as copper sulfate. In the corroded regions of the mortars, unequivocal identification of Cu phases was not possible, but the results were reconcilable with the presence of copper carbonate hydroxide. The solid-state NMR results revealed virtually complete dissolution of the K-A-S-H gel and the formation of silica gel, interpreted to be a central mechanism determining the acid resistance. No significant differences between the microstructural alterations of the pastes with and without Cu addition on (chemical) sulfuric acid attack were observed.
The production of Portland cement causes a substantial environmental impact, since the calcination of limestone results in high emissions of carbon dioxide. The use of supplementary cementitious materials such as calcined clays as partial replacement for Portland cement offers a solution to limit this environmental impact. This paper investigates four clays from deposits in central Germany with the aim of obtaining pozzolans for the production of Portland-pozzolana cement. The results obtained show that the calcined clays possess pozzolanic proper¬ties, which differ depending on calcination temperature and the relative amounts of kaolinite and 2:1 clay minerals.
Mortars for application on concrete, e.g. repair mortars or protective coatings, need to have a durable bond to the substrate. This bond is determined by the adhesion between the two materials and by the differential deformations of the mortar and the substrate. In the present contribution, the hygric deformations (shrinkage/expansion) of novel one-part alkali-activated mortars and their bond to concrete substrates are studied. Shrinkage of the mortars was studied at 50 % r.H., while expansion was studied on mortars stored over an open water surface (> 99% r.H.). The bond behaviour was studied by pull-off tests according to DIN EN 1542 and by optical microscopy.
The alkali-activated mortars exhibit hygric deformations much lower than the deformations of an established, commercial mortar for sewer maintenance that was tested as reference in parallel with the alkali-activated mortars. The bond behaviour of the alkali-activated mortars depends strongly on their mix-design and curing. Optical microscopy showed that in the mortars with lower bond strength, cracks developed in the mortar during curing. Mortars with appropriate mix-design and curing did not exhibit cracking, and their pull-off strength (up to > 3 MPa) conformed to the requirements of relevant standards.
Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBFS), a by-product of the iron-making process, has gained significant attention as a supplementary cementitious material and has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its remarkable properties. GGBFS can significantly reduce the environmental impact of cement production when it comes to building concrete structures. GGBFS can either be blended with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) (up to a 90% replacement), or it can be used in the production of alkali-activated materials (AAMs). However, a comprehensive understanding of the pore solution composition is necessary for understanding various aspects of cementitious materials and their durability, including corrosion behavior, passivation of steel, and resistance to deteriorative processes. In the present work, the pore solutions of seven different GGBFS-containing cements (alkali-activated slag, alkali-activated slag/fly ash blends, a hybrid alkaline cement, CEM III/C, and CEM III/B) were extracted and analysed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, ion chromatography, pH, redox potential, and conductivity measurements. For comparison, a Portland cement pore solution was analysed similarly. The Concentrations of reduced sulfur were noteworthy in all GGBFS-containing cements, particularly in alkali-activated cements, where concentrations were notably higher compared to standard cements. The redox potentials of the pore solutions were primarily dictated by the concentrations of reduced sulfur, although other factors may contribute. Additionally, sulfur species in the pore solutions had an impact on pH, electrical conductivity, and other properties pertinent to the corrosion of reinforcements.
While alkali-activated binders offer certain advantages over traditional Portland cement binders, particu¬larly in terms of resistance against chemical attacks and potentially environmental footprint, their degra¬dation mechanisms remain incompletely understood at present, specifically carbonation. Thus, this study investigates the impact of natural and accelerated carbonation (1% and 4% CO2) on three different compositions of alkali-activated concretes: 100% calcined clay (C100) binder, 100% ground blast furnace slag (S100) binder, and a 40% calcined clay and 60% blast furnace slag blend (C40S60). C100 concretes exhibit faster carbonation kinetics, with five times greater natural carbonation depths than S100. This difference diminishes under accelerated carbonation, showing a 1.5 times difference for 1% CO2 and complete carbonation for 4% CO2 at 90 days. The results thus confirm that accelerated carbonation testing of low-Ca alkali-activated concretes yields results that are not representative of natural carbonation. The C40S60 sample demonstrates a carbonation profile similar to a CEM I concrete, i.e., a high carbonation resistance. Microstructure analysis indicates the formation of three polymorphs of calcium carbonate for S100 (calcite, vaterite, and aragonite), with a higher CO2 concentration favouring aragonite over vaterite. C100 exhibits no calcium carbonates; instead, sodium carbonates form, including trona for 4% CO2 and natrite for both accelerated tests. C40S60 shows calcium and sodium carbonates, although to a lesser extent, containing predominantly calcite and minor signals of natrite. Suitable compositions, like C40S60, prove as effective during natural or accelerated carbonation tests as conventional Portland cement concrete.
The safe storage of radioactive material in nuclear waste repositories is a major task of our societies. The sealing function of such repositories is depending on the ability of the applied construction materials to form and maintain a geotechnical barrier with the surrounding rock. Corrosion of the construction material can lead to leakage of radioactive compounds and must therefore be avoided or minimized. Since concretes based on conventional Portland cement have not been found suitable in this context, alternative binders must be evaluated.
One such class of binders are hybrid cements, which are blends of low fractions of Portland cement or Portland clinker and high fractions of supplementary cementitious materials, such as blast furnace slag and fly ash, activated by an alkali salt. Besides a low heat of hydration and a sufficient early compressive strength [1], chemical similarities with ancient Roman concrete suggest an excellent durability in saline environments [2], which makes these cements potentially suitable for applications in nuclear waste repositories in evaporite rock, such as the Morsleben repository in Germany.
In the present study, two previously designed and characterized [3] hybrid cements, an alkali-activated slag/fly ash blend, and an OPC paste were studied regarding their resistance against corrosion in an aggressive saline solution. The saline solution was designed by the Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) [Association for Facility and Reactor Safety] as a reference representing a solution forming as the result of contact of surface water with evaporite rock. The cement pastes were exposed to the saline solution up to 70 days and characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and spatially resolved X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. In addition, thermodynamic modelling was performed to simulate the alterations of the phase assemblage with increasing exposure to the saline solution and, thus, provide indications on the long-term durability of the cement pastes.
The experimental results revealed a correlation between the Portland clinker content of the cements and the resistance of the cement pastes against attack by the saline solution. This outcome was related to the formation of portlandite when sufficient clinker was available, which maintained the pore solution pH at ~12.5, and thus prevented the dissolution of cementitious phases. Once portlandite was consumed, C-N-A-S-H and ettringite dissolved and released calcium, aluminium, and hydroxide ions in the solution, maintaining the pH at ~10. In this pH range, the formation Cl-AFm phases was observed. At lower pH values, i.e., extended exposure durations, gypsum was the major corrosion product. The pH-dependent dissolution and formation of phases lead to pronounced zonation in the exposed cement pastes. Thermodynamic modelling indicated that the dissolved silicon from C-N-A-S-H reacts with magnesium ions in the saline solution to form M-S-H, and that long-term exposure eventually leads to a material rich in amorphous silica and brucite.