Pozzolana is a natural volcanic ash available in some regions of the world such as the Andean area of Peru. This material contains high quantities of SiO2 and Al2O3, which makes it suitable for geopolymerisation. This work presents a summary of the development process of a new fiber-reinforced lightweight pozzolana-based geopolymer mortar that was used for the production of construction blocks. The first part of the work presents the development process of the new mortar, which used hydrogen peroxide as a foaming agent and jute fibers as reinforcement. This mortar was then used for the production of masonry blocks, which reached up to 5.3 MPa of compressive strength after 7 days of fabrication with reduced bulk densities of 1.27 g/cm3. To understand the durability capacity of the new matrix, its resistance to the action of fire, high temperatures, and water erosion were evaluated. The results of the fire tests indicated that the matrix is able to absorb up to approximately 65% of heat flame with only slight degradation. On the other hand, temperature resistance to up to 800°C was observed; above this temperature, the samples experimented significant volumetric changes. Finally, water exposure tests showed that the material is highly permeable and has a remarkable resistance to water erosion. This new material has proven to have suitable mechanical and durability properties and thus could be used as an environmentally friendly alternative for construction purposes.

Development of lightweight construction blocks using fiber reinforced pozzolana-based geopolymers

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.