Project Status: Complete. Further work carried out under the 4B1 Extension project.
Project Participants: Alcoa, ANSTO, Curtin University of Technology, Orica, Rocla
Project Leader: Arie van Riessen (Curtin University of Technology)
Geopolymers are a class of inorganic polymers formed by the reaction between an alkali and an aluminosilicate source. Variations in the ratio of aluminium to silicon, and alkali to silicon, produce geopolymers with different physical and mechanical properties. These materials
have an amorphous three-dimensional structure that gives geopolymers certain properties, such as fire and acid resistance, which make them an ideal substitute for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in a wide range of applications.
This project aimed to develop the necessary chemical and structural understanding of geopolymers made from waste products for them to be used to capture a significant market share of the ready-mixed concrete (and precast concrete) for a given industrial region.
To be able to blend a variety of waste streams, it is necessary to understand the role of secondary metal ions (iron, calcium, magnesium, titanium, etc) in the geopolymerisation process. It also necessary to understand how these interactions change when the primary and secondary ions originate from different particles within a mixture, as distinct from being present in the one feedstock particle. Of significant interest is how these secondary metal ions impact on reaction kinetics and entropy, and on hardened concrete properties.
Once reaction models are developed, they should allow theoretical optimisation of feedstock blends, and predict ways to enhance feedstock reactivity by process or material modifications within the waste generating process, minimise concrete manufacturing costs, and enhance hardened concrete properties.
The research objectives were to:
In 2007, the project was extended to encompass further demonstrations of geopolymer concrete products and include a number of streams of work (sub-projects).