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[b]GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE


Abstract[/b]

The thesis is mainly concerned with the investigation of geopolymer concrete with the primary aim of addressing the economic, financial and environmental issues associated with the production and use of ordinary Portland cement. Manufacture of Portland cement is known to produce a much higher volume of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere, therefore finding a suitable alternative can bring a desirable solution to mitigate the environmental problems caused by the cement production. The thesis gives a review of geopolymer concrete and critically analyses the economic and environmental benefits of geopolymer concrete over Portland cement concrete. Portland cement utilises waste industrial materials such as fly ash from thermal power stations to provide concrete solutions to waste management as well as environmental remediation problems.
Geopolymer concrete products are known to have far better durability and strength properties than Portland cement properties. These properties are investigated in the laboratory and verified. Finally the thesis looks at the factors which may hamper the use of geopolymer concrete as an alternative to Portland cement concrete. It is believed that in some countries, the geopolymer concrete does not comply with some regulatory standards, in particular those that define minimum clinker content levels or chemical composition in contents. The issues are investigated and addressed by the thesis.