Mechanical Properties of Gypsum-activated Ternary Hybrid Geopolymer Mortar Cured in Ambient Conditions

Abstract

Alkali activation geopolymer material is a type of green inorganic polymer that can effectively reduce carbon footprints and produce viable solutions to industrial waste utilization. Desulphurization Gypsum (DG) was blended with Ground Granulated furnace slag (GGBS) and pulverized Fuel Ash (PFA) to produce ternary blended geopolymer. The ratio of the alkaline activator solution of NaOH/Na₂SiO₃ was kept at 1.2. Laboratory tests investigated the engineering properties of GGBS-FA-DG ternary geopolymers. The specimens were cured at ambient temperature for 7 and 28 days and compression strength was determined. With the addition of gypsum, the strength increased first up to a certain limit then decreased with optimal DG content of 10%. The use of DG as secondary activator resulted in creating sustainable building materials has driven progress in geopolymer technology.