Performance Evaluation of Geopolymer Green Concrete Incorporating Industrial By-Products for Sustainable Structural Construction

Abstract

Sustainability The construction industry is increasingly looking at sustainable alternatives to traditional Portland cement concrete 
because of the various environmental consequences with cement production, such as a high level of carbon dioxide emissions 
and excessive energy usage. Geopolymer concrete is a variant of concrete that is currently a promising eco-friendly construction 
material that relies on industrial by-products as the primary binder materials like fly ash, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace 
Slag (GGBS) and so on, thus minimizing the use of cement and facilitating successful waste management. This paper is research 
conducted on the effectiveness of geopolymer green concrete using industrial by-products in construction of structural buildings 
as a sustainable method of building structure. A quasi-experimental approach was followed wherein various proportions of fly ash 
and GGBS were used as the components of multiple geopolymer concrete mixtures that were activated by the alkaline solutions 
of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate. Mechanical performance of the developed concrete specimens was determined by 
conducting extensive laboratory tests, which were compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of 
elasticity and density. The experiment findings showed that incorporation of industrial by-products remarkably helped to increase 
the mechanical properties of the geopolymer concrete without compromising structural performance requirements. The optimal 
geopolymer mix was found to have an excellent compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural, and satisfactory stiffness properties 
relative to the conventional concrete standards. Also, the use of industrial waste materials helped to save resources and minimized 
the environmental impact and embraced sustainable construction. The results show that geopolymer green concrete has a strong 
potential to be a viable alternative construction material that can be used in the structural application like beams, columns, and 
slabs. This study is an addition to sustainable civil engineering as it shows that industrial by-products can be converted to high
performance construction materials that can enable a development of infrastructure that is environmentally friendly.