Solidification of Alum Industry Waste for Producing Geopolymer Mortar

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental work, which carried out to test the feasibility of using dealuminated metakaolin (DaMK) as an additive to metakaolin (MK) in the production of geopolymer concrete. DaMK is produced as a byproduct from the aluminum sulfate industry. The chemical composition and physical properties of DaMK were investigated in this study. Results showed that DaMK is a good pozzolan material, which added to MK by 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70% in producing geopolymer concrete. The compressive strength was measured by testing standard cubes at 7 and 28 days. Satisfactory results are achieved by using 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40% of DaMK. It is recommended to use MK with added proportions of DaMK up to 40% of MK to produce an ecofriendly and economic geopolymer concrete.