Effect of sodium hydroxide concentration on the compressive strength of geopolymer mortar using fly ash PLTU Tanjungjati B Jepara

Abstract

Geopolymer concrete is concrete that uses environmentally friendly materials, using fly ash from waste materials from the coal industry as a substitute for cement. To produce geopolymer concrete, an alkaline activator is required, with a mixture of Sodium Hydroxide and Sodium Silicate. This research is an experimental study to determine the effect of variations in the concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) 8 Mol, 10 Mol, 12 Mol, and 14 Mol on the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete. Mortar Geopolymer uses a mixture of 1: 3 for the ratio of fly ash and sand, 2.5: 0.45 for the ratio of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide as an alkaline solution. The specimens used a cube mold having dimension 5 cm x 5 cm x 5 cm, then tested at 7 days and 28 days. The test resulted that concentration of NaOH 12 Mol obtained the maximum compressive strength of geopolymer concrete, that is 38.54 MPa. At concentrations of 12 Mol NaOH and exceeding 12M, the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete decreased.