Improving the structural performance of reinforced geopolymer concrete incorporated with hazardous heavy metal waste ash
ISSN: 1708-5284
Article publication date: 12 July 2021
Issue publication date: 5 December 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Demand for Geopolymer concrete (GPC) has increased recently because of its many benefits, including being environmentally sustainable, extremely tolerant to high temperature and chemical attacks in more dangerous environments. Like standard concrete, GPC also has low tensile strength and deformation capacity. This paper aims to analyse the utilization of incinerated bio-medical waste ash (IBWA) combined with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) in reinforced GPC beams and columns. Medical waste was produced in the health-care industry, specifically in hospitals and diagnostic laboratories. GGBS is a form of industrial waste generated by steel factories. The best option to address global warming is to reduce the consumption of Portland cement production and promote other types of cement that were not a pollutant to the environment. Therefore, the replacement in ordinary Portland cement construction with GPC is a promising way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. GPC was produced due to an alkali-activated polymeric reaction between alumina-silicate source materials and unreacted aggregates and other materials. Industrial pollutants such as fly ash and slag were used as raw materials.
Design/methodology/approach
Laboratory experiments were performed on three different proportions (reinforced cement concrete [RCC], 100% GGBS as an aluminosilicate source material in reinforced geopolymer concrete [GRGPC] and 30% replacement of IBWA as an aluminosilicate source material for GGBS in reinforced geopolymer concrete [IGRGPC]). The cubes and cylinders for these proportions were tested to find their compressive strength and split tensile strength. In addition, beams (deflection factor, ductility factor, flexural strength, degradation of stiffness and toughness index) and columns (load-carrying ability, stress-strain behaviour and load-deflection behaviours) of reinforced geopolymer concrete (RGPC) were studied.
Findings
As shown by the results, compared to Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) and 100% GGBS based Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete (GRGPC), 30% IBWA and 70% GGBS based Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete (IGRGPC) (30% IBWA–70% GGBS reinforced geo-polymer concrete) cubes, cylinders, beams and columns exhibit high compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, load-carrying ability, ultimate strength, stiffness, ductility and deformation capacity.
Originality/value
All the results were based on the experiments done in this research. All the result values obtained in this research are higher than the theoretical values.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education for providing Equipment to test and conduct research.
Funding: This research work is part of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) – Science for Equity, Empowerment, and Development (SEED) Division – Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Hub Project (DST File no. DST/SEED/SCSP/STI/2019/127/G/C).
Citation
Arunachalam, S.K., Muthiah, M., Rangaswamy, K.D., Kadarkarai, A. and Arunasankar, C.G. (2022), "Improving the structural performance of reinforced geopolymer concrete incorporated with hazardous heavy metal waste ash", World Journal of Engineering, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 808-821. https://doi.org/10.1108/WJE-01-2021-0055
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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