Development Factors in Eco-Friendly Geopolymer Concrete - A State of the Art Review

Abstract

The use of natural resources in different fields increases over time. Governments all over the world encourage all officials to achieve sustainability goals. Therefore, scientists developed geopolymer concrete as an alternative to ordinary cement-based concrete. The production process of one ton of cement is accompanied by emitting approximately one ton of carbon dioxide into the environment. Geopolymer concrete is free of cement and based on by-product materials, which increase the sustainability of structures.Consequently, it has considerable potential to become the future of green building materials due to its advantages in terms of mechanical properties and environmental benefits compared to conventional cementbased concrete. This paper summarizes a review of the development factors of geopolymer concrete and its applications. Moreover, it briefly exhibits the advantages and disadvantages of replacing Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete with newly developed geopolymer concrete. In addition, it reports a review of the mix design of geopolymer concrete. Furthermore, it helps the reader better understand the properties of fresh and hardened geopolymer concrete. It also outlines and concludes the effect of different components on binder properties through proposed flow charts. Several research studies on different structural elements made of geopolymer concrete are also presented and discussed. Finally, it provides some practical applications for using geopolymer concrete in construction.