Research
Geopolymers Program
Program Leader: Prof 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.
These materials have an amorphous 3-dimensional structure
that gives geopolymers properties which make them an
ideal substitute for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in a
whole range of applications. Many by-products produced by
industry can be used as feedstocks for geopolymer, including
fly ash, mine tailings and bauxite residues. Variations in the
ratio of aluminium to silicon, and alkali to silicon, produce
geopolymers with different physical and mechanical properties.
The program aims to develop the necessary fundamental
understanding of geopolymers made from waste products
for them to be used in the ready mixed and precast concrete
market for a given industrial region.
Using geopolymers to replace OPC cements in concrete
structures and ready-mix applications has the potential to
provide the following environmental advantages:
- significantly reduce greenhouse gas emission
- use large volumes of industrial (waste) by-products
- increase resource efficiency by producing concrete products
with longer services lives
Objectives
- Assess the suitability of soluble or dissolvable silica bearing
waste streams generated in any one geographical region,
to be used as geopolymer feedstocks.
- Determine the role that secondary metal ion constituents in
the geopolymer process play on the kinetics of formation
and resulting microstructure of geopolymers.
- Design, manufacture and test commercially viable readymixed
geopolymer concrete made from the suite of
regionally generated wastes.
- Investigate the long-term durability of such concretes.
Completed Projects
Highlights 2008/09
- Geopolymer concrete path material is performing well and has lower
shrinkage than comparable OPC concrete.
- Several test pours of premix geopolymer concrete have occurred and the
second demonstration path is expected to be poured by the end of 2009.
- Geopolymer coatings have been shown to have high adhesion to steel and
Ordinary Portland Cement as well as impressive fire resistant properties.
- PhD student, William Rickard, in the top four presenters at the CRC
Association’s annual Showcasing Early Career Scientists event in May 2009.
- To date, 15 organisations have agreed to join the Geopolymer Alliance.
- The quality and speed of X-ray diffraction pattern collection has improved with
the installation of a new Bruker D8 Advance X-ray diffractometer with fast
LynxEye detector.
- Samples were analysed at the Australian Synchrotron facility in Melbourne in
an effort to collect data with lower detection limits and improved resolution
which will assist with the fundamental science work on geopolymers.
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