Geopolymers resulting from the addition of alumina wastes in volcanic glass and metakaolin

• Grant number: 16/09065-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2016
• End date: June 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Mirian Chieko Shinzato
• Grantee: Eduardo Francisco Souza Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas (ICAQF). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Diadema. Diadema , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to examine the effect of aluminum recycling waste addition as aluminum source in the geopolymers production using volcanic glass and metakaolin. The aluminum wastes will be chemically pretreated in order to promote the formation of more reactive compounds, such as aluminum hydroxide. The studied materials will be characterized (physical, chemical and mineralogically), and will have their specific thermal properties determined. The partial effect of the addition of aluminum-rich compounds in the preparation of geopolymers will be studied with the aim of assessing improvement in the agglutination characteristics. Volcanic glass and metakaolin (prepared from calcining kaolinite) will be serve as silica source in this study. These materials will be evaluated in pure form and also in mixtures in the geopolymers production - which will consist in treating the basic alkaline activator solution (mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate). Finally, the mechanical strength of the products obtained in this study will be determined by the flexural test. To verify the destruction or neoformation phases in geopolymers, these materials will be also analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and IR spectroscopy in Fourier transform (FTIR). Through this analysis it is expected to evaluate the use of waste aluminum recycling as geopolymeric additives.