DEVELOPMENT OF ECO-FRIENDLY GEOPOLYMER WITH CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE

The construction industry is considered as one of the most influential sectors for improving the socio-economic conditions of all countries, and its dynamism is driven by the demand for housing and civil infrastructure. However, one of the consequences of high demand is the generation of considerable volumes of waste, which have become a significant environmental problem, representing up to 30 - 40% of the solid waste generated globally. The search for sustainable solutions that recycle materials from construction and demolition waste (C&DW) is currently an urgent challenge for this sector. CDW consists mainly of siliceous-aluminous materials (SiO2 and Al2O3). Therefore, the alkaline activation process is considered a viable alternative for the increased use of this fraction (>75%) of the C&DW. The purpose of this Ph.D. research is to investigate the feasibility of making high-strength geopolymers with CDW, which will increase the recycling and reuse rate of CDW materials. The basic mechanical and durable properties of CDW geopolymer will be investigated and an optimized mix design will be proposed accordingly.