Drying Shrinkage, Sulphuric Acid and Sulphate Resistance of High-Volume Palm Oil Fuel Ash-Included Alkali-Activated Mortars

Ghasan Fahim Huseien, Mohammad Ali Asaad, Aref A. Abadel, Sib Krishna Ghoshal, Hussein K. Hamzah, Omrane Benjeddou and Jahangir Mirza
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Ghasan Fahim Huseien: Department of the Build Environment, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Mohammad Ali Asaad: Department of Civil Engineering, Iraq University College (IUC), Basra 61001, Iraq
Aref A. Abadel: Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Sib Krishna Ghoshal: Department of Physics, AOMRG, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia
Hussein K. Hamzah: Faculty of Industrial and Agricultural Civil Engineering, Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, Bulevardul Lacul Tei 124, Sect. 2, 020396 Bucharest, Romania
Omrane Benjeddou: Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj 16273, Saudi Arabia
Jahangir Mirza: Department of Civil Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON M4N 3M6, Canada

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-27

Abstract: Nowadays, an alkali-activated binder has become an emergent sustainable construction material as an alternative to traditional cement and geopolymer binders. However, high drying shrinkage and low durability performance in aggressive environments such as sulphuric acid and sulphate are the main problems of alkali-activated paste, mortar and concrete. Based on these factors, alkali-activated mortar (AAM) binders incorporating high-volume palm oil fuel ash (POFA), ground blast furnace slag (GBFS) and fly ash (FA) were designed to enhance their durability performance against aggressive environments. The compressive strength, drying shrinkage, loss in strength and weight, as well as the microstructures of these AAMs were evaluated after exposure to acid and sulphate solutions. Mortars made with a high volume of POFA showed an improved durability performance with reduced drying shrinkage compared to the control sample. Regarding the resistance against aggressive environments, AAMs with POFA content increasing from 0 to 70% showed a reduced loss in strength from 35 to 9% when subjected to an acid attack, respectively. Additionally, the results indicated that high-volume POFA binders with an increasing FA content as a GBFS replacement could improve the performance of the proposed mortars in terms of durability. It is asserted that POFA can significantly contribute to the cement-free industry, thus mitigating environmental problems such as carbon dioxide emission and landfill risks. Furthermore, the use of POFA can increase the lifespan of construction materials through a reduction in the deterioration resulting from shrinkage problems and aggressive environment attacks.

Keywords: alkali-activated mortar; palm oil fuel ash; drying shrinkage; sulphuric acid attack; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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