Preliminary Study of Alkali Activation of Basalt: Effect of NaOH Concentration on Geopolymerization of Basalt

摘要

The main objective of this study is to examine the possibility of using fresh basalt powder in the preparation of geopolymer pastes. Four NaOH concentrations of 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 M were used to alkali activation of basalt. In addition, effect of curing temperature at ambient, 45°C and 65°C were studied. The geopolymer pastes were investigated using FTIR, XRD and SEM-EDS techniques as well as compressive strength up to 90 days. The results were shown the compressive strength of prepared geopolymer increased with concentration of alkali activator up to 90 days. On the other hand, the compressive strength of prepared geopolymer pastes were improved with increased curing temperature. The results showed that there was a change in the chemical and mineral structure, due to the reaction of the sodium hydroxide with the different minerals of the basalt. In addition, the Na/Al and Si/Al ratios were completely different from that of the raw basalt. The geopolymerization reactions occurred at the surface basalt and the unreacted basalt particles actually play a supporting role in the geopolymer properties.