Masters Theses

Keywords and Phrases

Curring; Fly ash; Geopolymer; Mortar

Abstract

”Missouri is the fourth largest coal consumer in the U.S. with coal-fired power plants generate 81.3% of the electricity in the state which generate about 2.7 million tons of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) annually. The CCR, including fly ash, disposal issue is not limited to Missouri, rather it is a national issue with CCRs being the second largest waste stream in the U.S. Ninety million tons of fly ash are stored in landfills and ash ponds annually. Hence, using this waste product effectively is necessary. One of the emerging applications of fly ash is to use it as binder in geopolymer concrete. While geopolymer concrete possess attractive characteristics, there remain many questions to be answered before it can be widely adopted in the construction industry.

Five geopolymer concrete mixtures with fly ash sourced from five power plants were investigated during the study. The physical and chemical properties of the fly ash were characterized using X-ray fluorescence, SEM, particle size distribution, and surface area. Different mixtures having different alkaline and silicate molarities were tested. The fresh properties of the concrete were determined. The compressive strengths of different specimens cured at five different temperatures of 30, 40, 55, 70, and 85 ⁰C for 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 hours were determined. The compressive strength results indicate that the calcium content and ratio of silica to alumina played a pivotal role in the optimum curing conditions for geopolymer concrete. Energy efficiency of these mixtures were analyzed to determine the most energy-effective curing regime. Relatively higher calcium fly ashes performed most efficiently at ambient curing conditions while lower calcium fly ashes were performed much better at 70 ⁰C for 24 hours”--Abstract, page iv.

Advisor(s)

ElGawady, Mohamed

Committee Member(s)

Myers, John J.
Yan, Guirong Grace

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Civil Engineering

Comments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT), Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MODNR), and Ameren Corporation for their contributions and support during this study.

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2018

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

  • Optimization of thermal curing of class C fly ash-based geopolymer mortars
  • Improving the freeze thaw durability of class C fly ash-based geopolymer mortars using compatible additives

Pagination

xii, 103 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographic references.

Rights

© 2017 Simon Peter Sargon, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12049

Electronic OCLC #

1313117325

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