Preparation and Characterization of Manganese Slag and Fly Ash-based Geopolymer

Abstract

In this study, a series of manganese slag and fly ash-based geopolymers were prepared though alkali activation by varing the amount of manganese slag. The 3-day, 7-day and 14-day compressive strengths of these samples were tested. The maximum strength of 42.78 MPa was obtained at 14th days of testing when 455 g of fly ash, 195g of manganese slag, 20% of the alkali content, the curing temperature of 100°C, the curing time of 12h were used. XRD and FTIR characterization results shown that the polymerization reaction occurs between the glassiness in the manganese slag and the fly ash while adding alkali activator, and the main structure formed was Ca-A-S-H, which contributed the major strength in manganese slag and fly ash-based geopolymer.