Effect of molarity and alkalin liquid on mechanical properties of

geopolymer mortar

Haneen Salim1, Layth Abdulbari Al-Jaberi 2,Yasir Khalil Ibrahim3

1.3
Department of Material Engineering,Al-Mustansiriyah University
Department of Civil Engineering,Al-Mustansiriyah University 2
Corresponding Author: Ebma014@uomustansiriyah.edu.iq*

Abstract
The enhancement of cement alternatives in the industry of construction is one of the
vital components for sustainable development. Geopolymerization can be defined as
one of the new strategies that provide imaginative arrangements, and the existence
of aluminum and silicon oxides in MK had supported its use as one of the source
materials in the Geo-polymer, which might be utilized in a wide range of
.the applications
The presented study provides experimental study for producing geo-polymer mortar
and examines metakaoline geo-polymer mortar that has been reinforced by
polypropylene fibers . In this study, an experimental investigation is conducted to
study the mechanical and physical properties of metakaoline geo-polymer mortar that
are made from base material available in the local market. The tests were made in this
study workability test, compression test, tensile strength, non-destructive test (N.D. T)
(dry density and apparent porosity).Sample is prepared with four different
molarity(8M,10M,12M,14M) and Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio (2,2.5) and curing in the
.furnace at 70°C for three hours and then its curing under sunlight for 28 days
Mortar, cement, and concrete blends have been considered to be fragile substances,
which have been more grounded concerning the compression, whereas they have been
weaker concerning the tension and flexure; therefore, we used polypropylene fibers
.(PF) in all mixtures
,KEYWORDS: Geo-polymer,mortar,molarity,alkaline liquid,compressive strength
SEM
:‫الخالصة‬
‫ف‬MM‫ يمكن تعري‬.‫تدامة‬MM‫ة المس‬MM‫ة للتنمي‬MM‫ات الحيوي‬MM‫د المكونش‬MM‫اائية أح‬MM‫ناعات االنش‬MM‫منت في الص‬MM‫يعد تعزيز بدائل األس‬
‫ وقد دعم وجود أكاسيد األلومنيوم‬, ‫البلمرة الجيولوجية كواحدة من االستراتيجيات الجديدة التي توفر خيارات جيدة‬
‫ة‬MM‫والسيليكون في الميتاكاؤلين استخدامها كأحد المواد الرئيسية في الجيوبوليمر والتي يمكن استخدامها في مجموع‬
.‫واسعة من التطبيقات‬
‫ولي‬MM‫اف الب‬MM‫زز بألي‬MM‫اكولين المع‬MM‫وليمر وفحص مالط الميت‬MM‫و ب‬MM‫اج مالط جي‬MM‫ة إلنت‬MM‫ة تجريبي‬MM‫ذا البحث دراس‬MM‫وفر ه‬MM‫ي‬
‫وليمر‬MM‫ تم إجراء تحقيق تجريبي لدراسة الخواص الميكانشيكية والفيزيائية لمونة الجيوب‬, ‫في هذه الدراسة‬. ‫بروبلين‬
‫ة‬MM‫ذه الدراس‬MM‫ا في ه‬MM‫تي تم اجراءاه‬MM‫ ومن االختبارات ال‬.‫المصنوعة من المواد األساسية المتوفرة في السوق المحلي‬
, ‫ة‬M‫ة الجاف‬M‫دمرة (والكثاف‬M‫ير الم‬M‫ارات الغ‬M‫واالختب‬, ‫د‬M‫وة الش‬M‫ار ق‬M‫ واختب‬, ‫غط‬M‫ار الض‬M‫ واختب‬, ‫غيل‬M‫ة التش‬M‫اختبار قابلي‬
‫ مول ونسبة‬14 ,‫ مول‬12 , ‫ مول‬10 , ‫ مول‬8 ) ‫ يتم تحضير العينة بأربعة موالرية مختلفة‬.‫والمسامية الظاهرة‬
‫ درجة مئوية لمدة ثالث ساعات ثم معالجتها تحت‬70 ‫ ومعالجتها في الفرن عند‬Na2SiO3 / NaOH (2,2.5)
‫ يوًم ا‬28 ‫أشعة االمس لمدة‬
, ‫ والتي كانت أكثر تماسًك ا فيما يتعلق بالضغط‬, ‫تم اعتبار المالط واألسمنت والخلطات الخرسانية من المواد الهاة‬
.‫بينما كانت أضعف فيما يتعلق بالتوتر واالنثناء ؛ لذلك استخدمنا الياف البولي بروبلين في جميع المخاليط‬

Introduction .1
Joseph Davidovits gladly developed geopolymerization technique in early 1980
because of its economically efficient method (1) .At little higher than room temperature,
The activation of alumina and silica as starting materials in an alkaline setting results
in adhesion. aluminosilicate.(2).These alkali-activated materials are made up of
tetrahedral silicate and aluminate units that are covalently linked in a three-
dimensional structure.In the geopolymerization process, a reactive aluminosilicate
material, such as metakaoline or fly ash , and an alkali activator solution are both
used (A solution of alkali metal hydroxide, such as sodium hydroxide, and a silicate
solution, such as sodium silicate)(2). Buildings, bridge superstructures, and deck
pavements are all common uses for geopolymers. Because geopolymers are fire-
resistant materials, manufacturing lightweight geopolymers with increased thermal
resistance can be a good method to use them. Although the characteristics and nature
of geopolymers are now better understood, their lightweight constructions have yet to
be fully developed. However, several techniques of introducing lightweight
.geopolymers have been investigated
has investigated the influence of temperature and duration )3()A.M.M.A. Bakri,2012(
of curing on the compressive strength of fly ash-based geo-polymer concrete. Al-
Bakri discovered that as time and curing temperature rise, the compressive strength of
concrete increases.Two different alkali activators were used to activate metakaolin-
based geopolymer concrete (K and Na). With various Si/Al ratios, the specimens were
Cured at 80°C for one and two days. The results revealed that specimens reacted by
.Na exhibit lower compressive strength than those activated with K
Because Si-O-Si connections had higher strength than Si-O-Al linksAs the Si/Al
ratio(4) increased, the results showed a rise in compressive strength Investigated the
effect of different NaOH solutions on the metakaolin geopolymer paste. The
compressive strength of seven-day-old samples increased with increasing NaOH
.content from 8 M to 14 M, according to the findings
:Materials .2
.Metakaoline.2.1
Kaolinite can be defined as one of the clay minerals with Al2Si2O5(OH)4 chemical
composition. In addition, metakaolin is a de-hydroxylated form regarding clay
mineral kaolinite related to the following reaction
Al2 Si2 O5 (OH)4 → Al2 O32 SiO2 + 2 H2O
Kaolinites lose the majority of their adsorbed water between (100 and 200) C°.
Kaolinites are calcined when they lose water through dehydroxilization at
°temperatures between (500 and 700)C

Table 1. Metakaolin's chemical composition

Content, percent Oxide
1.82 Fe2O3
38.11 Al2O3
51.59 SiO2
0.14 SO3
0.23 MgO
0.45 CaO
6.12 LOI
0.43 K2O
0.11 Na2O
Σ= 99.00 Oxide

Table 2. Metakaolin's physical properties

Result Physical property
2.610 Specific gravity
Powder Physical form
and 2,300 1,960 – 1,650 Surface area, m 2 . kg-1
Off-white Color
:Sodium hydroxide NaOH .2.2
NaOH, with purity of 98%, in flak form is commercially-available. To make a
solution with the needed concentration, In distilled water, the solids should be
dissolved. According to the ratio of caustic soda flakes to water, various molar
concentricity levels may be achieved.The concentration of sodium silicates is
.determined by the ratio of Na2O to SiO2 and water
:Sodium Silicate, Na2SiO3.2.3
The Na2SiO3 utilized in this study was produced in the United Arab Emirates. Table
.3 lists the characteristics of sodium silicate
 Table 3. Specifications of sodium silicate
Value Description
32-33 SiO2 percent by weight
13.7 – 13.1 Na2O percent by weight
0.05 ± 2.4 Ratio of SiO2 / Na2O
0.5 ± 51 Density - 20° Baumé
Hazy Appearance
1200 – 600 Viscosity (CPS) 20oC
1.5510 – 1.5340 Specific Gravity
Water .2.4
To produce the Sodium Hydroxide solution, distilled water was used to dissolve the
caustic soda flakes. Potable water was used as a supplementary water source in the
.geopolymer mix design to enhance workability
Fine aggregate .2.5
In this study, natural sand that has been obtained from the region of Al-Ekhadir
(Karbala city) has been utilized as the fine aggregate. Sand with a 4.75mm maximum
size has been used. The gradation, physical, and chemical properties of sand have
been determined through tests. As shown in Tables 4 and 5, the results are in
.accordance with Iraqi standard specifications I.Q.S.(No45/1984)
Table 4. Grading of fine aggregate
IQS 45-1984, zone2 Cumulative percentage Size of the Sieve,
pass mm
90-100 96 4.750
8-30 26 0.30
75-100 78 2.360
55-90 64 1.180
35-59 53 0.60
100 100 10
0-10 6 0.150
 Table 5. Fine aggregate sulfate content and physical characteristics
IQS45-1984 Tests results Physical
characteristics
---- 1598 Density (kg/m3)
---- 2.83 Fineness modulus
---- 2.6 Specific gravity
---- 1.8 Absorption,
percent
High-Range Water Reducing Admixture .2.6
For enhancing the geopolymer mortar' workability, a high range water reducer
(superplasticizer) on the basis of modified sulfonated naphthalene formaldehyde
condensate has been utilized. KUT PLAST SP400, a product from a local supplier
:Polypropylene fiber .2.7
The length of the PP fibers used in this study is (12mm). The diameter of the glass
.fibers ranges between (8 and 16) mm; Table(6)includes the PP fiber characteristics
.Table (6) Mechanical characteristics of the poly-propylene fiber
Properties Carbon fibers

Tensile strength (MPa) 165

Diameter (μm) 8-16

Specific gravity 0.91

Melting point (C) 160

Alkali resistance Excellent resistance

Modulus of Elasticity (MPa) 6000-9000

Length (mm)/ 12

Experimental work .3
Proportions of the Mix .3.1
Liquid alkaline should be made at least befor one day than casting. The NaOH
solution is first produced to the necessary molarity, and then it is combined in a 2 and
2.5 ratio with Na2SiO3. (where M–molarity) The specimens were produced for (8M,
.10M, 12M, 14M)
 For example(8M) indicates that the concentration of NaOH in a litre of water is 8 40 =
320gm (where 40 is the molecular weight of NaOH).Mix proportions for all samples
.are shows in Table no.6
Table 6. All mixing of geopolymer mortar
p.p Alkalin Water Fine HRWR Na2SiO3/ NaOH MK.kg/ Mi
e / Aggregat NaOH molarit m3 x
BY .M.K.wt,
solution e y
M.K binder %
,
.wt kg/m3
% by M.K.
%wt
3 0.6 0.3 780 5 2 8 520 G1
3 0.6 0.3 780 5 2 10 520 G2
3 0.6 0.3 780 5 2 12 520 G3
3 0.6 0.3 780 5 2 14 520 G4
3 0.6 0.3 780 5 2.5 8 520 G5
3 0.6 0.3 780 5 2.5 10 520 G6
3 0.6 0.3 780 5 2.5 12 520 G7
3 0.6 0.3 780 5 2.5 14 520 G8

Alkaline solution preparation for Geopolymer .3.2

:a) Creating NaOH Solutions at Various Concentrations
High volumes flakes of sodium hydroxide In distilled water, they were dissolved to
create different quantities with a purity of 98 percent. Depending on the concentration
of NaOH in the solution, the mass of sodium hydroxide solids in the final solution
varies. A 10 M NaOH solution, for example, has 10 x 40 = 400 g sodium hydroxide
solids per liter, where 40 represents the molecular weight of NaOH; O = 16, Na =23
and H=1
:b) Alkaline Liquid Preparation
Following the preparation of the NaOH solution, then it is added to sodium silicate
solution. Then stirring this mix for (2-3) min. and considered to be an alkali liquid. It
was recommended to produce the alkaline liquid through the mixing of the 2 solutions
at least 24h prior to utilization(5)
Procedure for mixing .3.3
The raw materials and fine were combined for two to three minutes in a dray. After
adding the produced alkali liquid to the dry mixture,there was additional water and a
superplasticizer added.. The final mixes are mixed for 4 to 5 minutes in order to
.achieve homogeneity
:Casting process .3.4
Three layers of geopolymer paste were poured into steel molds after the mixing
procedure was completed. Each layer was shook for one to two minutes on a vibrating
.table, depending on the mold type. The shock was utilized to release trapped air
Curing .3.5
After casting, geopolymer mortar samples are allowed to cure for one day at room
temperature under air pressure and uncontrolled humidity conditions before being
baked at 70°C for five hours. The oven is switched off at the conclusion of the curing
time, and the materials are allowed to cool to room temperature within the oven.
Before being utilized in testing, the samples are taken from the mold and allowed to
.air cure (dry) at room temperature

Figure (1) curing the sample in furnace

Laboratory Examinations .3.6
Workability can be defined as a property of freshly mixed mortar; it's a crucial test for
determining the cohesion's extent between the components of the mortar paste, The
test has been carried out based on ASTM C-1437-01
Compressive and tensile strengths of geopolymer mortars were tested with in the line
of ASTM C 349- 14 and ASTM C 190 at 28 days, respectively
The bulk density, water absorption (by mass) of the hardened mortars were measured
according to ASTM C642 while TS EN 772-4 was used to determine the porosity of
.samples at 28 days
Discussion of the Findings .4
:Workability (i.e. Flow) test .4.1
As show in figure (2) geo-polymer mortar’s flow value has been reduced by the
increase in ratio of the Na2 SiO3/NaOH due to Na2 SiO3solution’s high viscosity, and a
greater amount of the water has to be added for the purpose of obtaining workable
.geo-polymer mortar(6)
Also from Figure (2) we noted that increasing in NaOH molarity lead to diminish the
workability, because increasing of NaOH concentration lead to reduce water content
and increase viscosity of paste as well as increasing in rate of geopolymarization
which make paste more cohesive and less workable(7)

80

70

60

50
Flow%

40

30

20

10

0
8M 10M 12M 14M
Molarity

Na2SiO3/ NaOH=2 Na2SiO3/ NaOH=2.5

Figure(2) Flow of geopolymer mortar

copmressive testing 4.2

The increase of the concentration NaOH leads to the increase in the geo-polymer
mortar’s compressive strength for both types (M.K and F.A) as shown in figure
(3).The highest compressive strength obtained from 14M and Na2SiO3/NaOH=2.5

higher concentration of the NaOH results in increasing the solution’s capability for
leaching the alumina and silica, promoting more sufficient binding amongst the solid
particles in final structure of the system and has an important impact on the hardened
.geo-polymer’s mechanical properties(8)

Also the increasing of alkaline solution frome 2 to 2.5 results in slightly increasing the
value of the compressive strength in the two mortat as show in figure (3)
 elitT trahC
5.91
91
91 57.81
5.81
5.81
51.81
81 57.71
5.71 52.71 52.71
71
5.61
5.61
61
htgnerts evisserpmoc

5.51
51
M8 M01 M21 M41

yitraloM

2=HOaN/3OiS2aN 5.2=HOaN/3OiS2aN

Fig. (3) compressive strength of M.K and F.A geopolymer mortar at 28day age

:Tensile strength 4.3.2

5.3

5.2

5.1

1
htgnerts elisneT

5.0

0
M8 M01 M21 M41
yitraloM

2=HOaN/3OiS2aN 5.2=HOaN/3OiS2aN

Fig. (4) tensile strength of M.K and F.A geopolymer mortar at 28day age

It can be observed from the results that geo-polymer mortar’s tensile strength
increases in a gradual manner by increasing the NaOH solution molarity value from
M 8 to M 14 as a result of the ratio of solutions of NaOH and Na 2SiO3to certain
mixture proportion due to the fact that higher sodium hydroxide concentration will
.result in making a good bonding between the aggregate and mortar paste(9)
Geo-polymer mortar’s tensile strength is increased as a result of a higher Na 2SiO3
ratio availability in the mixture, in other words, 2:5 strength is higher than 2(Na 2SiO3/
NaOH) due to the fact that the Na 2SiO3 has the ability of accelerating the reaction of
.the polimerization and increasing geo-polymer mortar’s mechanical strength (9)

:Bulk density 4.3.5

As show in figure (5), the fresh density value of geo-polymer mortar increased whith
increasing of molarity because the density is a function of weight, therefor increase in
molarity means an increase in the amount of solute in a fixed volume, and on top the
.density increases

Also the value of fresh density increased with the increasing of Na 2SiO3/NaOH ratio
because high alkaline ratio cause high dissolution of Metakaoline particles in the
.mix and that obtained denser microstructure in geopolymers(10)

0191

0091

0981

0881

0781

0681

0581
yitsned kluB

0481

0381

0281
8M M01 M21 M41
yitraloM

2=HOaN/3OiS2aN 5.2=HOaN/3OiS2aN

Figure(5) Bulk density of geopolymer mortar

:Apparent porpsity 4.3.6

geopolymer mortar test result show that the amounts of the open pores in the geo-
polymer binder have been reduced with an increase in the concentration of the NaOH
and ratio of the alkaline activator. While the open pores have been decreased along
with an increase in the concentration of the NaOH and ratio of the alkaline activator
from 2 to 2.50 this phenomena caused by viscosity and obtained denser
.microstructure in geopolymers mortar(9)
 71

5.61

61

5.51

51
yitsorop tnerappA

5.41

41
M8 M01 M21 M41
yitraloM

2=HOaN/3OiS2aN 5.2=HOaN/3OiS2aN

Fig.(6) Apparent porosityof M.K and F.A geopolymer mortar

:Conclusions.5

For structural applications, geopolymer is an environmentally friendly alternative to -

.Portland cement

Factors such as alkaline activator properties, metakaolin properties, and curing -

.conditions all impact the mix proportion of metakaolin-based geopolymer mortar

Increasing NaOH concentration from (8M) to (14M) leads to diminishing -

workability from 69.9 to 45.8 due to reduction in the total amount of water and higher
.Geopolymerization rate, which lead to making geopolymer paste more viscose

The increasing Na2 SiO3/NaOH in activator of alkaline resulted in increasing the -

viscosity of geopolymer mortar considerably and increased the density of
.geopolymer

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