The key objective of this study was to develop marble-based geopolymer concrete and examine the viability of its application as a sustainable structural material for the construction industry. The results of the research demonstrated that marble-based geopolymer concrete can be developed, and its physical/mechanical properties were shown to have a very good performance. According to various experimental tests and a large-scale ready-mixed plant test, it was found that the marble-based geopolymer concrete displayed a good workability and was not easily influenced by temperature changes. The results showed that marble-based geopolymer concrete has an excellent potential for further engineering development in the future.

The objective of this study is to use the geopolymer technique to solidify/stabilize heavy metal contaminated soil. There are over 739,700 square meters of heavy-metal-contaminated sites in Taiwan; most sites are soil farmlands. These heavy metal contaminants in soil can also infiltrate into groundwater and cause more serious pollution problems. This study explores the possibility of using the geopolymer technique to solidify heavy metal contaminated soil (CS), stabilize heavy metal, and produce good mechanical and physical properties. The ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) was activated by an alkali solution to form a geopolymer binder that can be used to solidify CS and stabilize the heavy metal. The effect of GGBFS and CS mixing ratio on the mechanical and physical properties and the TCLP test was investigated. The test results show that the compressive strength of specimens made with a 1.5 CS/GGBFS ratio can reach 46.61 MPa and 47.66 MPa after curing for 14 and 28 days, respectively. TCLP tests show only 2 ppm Cu was detected from a geopolymer-treated contaminated soil sample. The influence of alkali solution, such as the molarity of the NaOH, SiO₂/Na₂O, and SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio, were also evaluated. The specimens prepared with 8 M NaOH, 0.96 SiO₂/Na₂O, and 1.28 SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio alkali solution have a compressive strength of 51.74 MPa and 58.63 MPa after 14 and 28 days of curing. The TCLP tests show no heavy metal ions leached from the sample.

Lost-wax casting, also called precision casting, is the process of casting a duplicate metal sculpture cast an original sculpture. The ceramic shell mould used in lost-wax casting usually consists of several layers formed with fine zircon and granular mullite particles using silica gel as a binder. However, it is a complicated and time-consuming process. Large amounts of waste moulds that need to be disposed and recycled become an environmental concern. In this study, waste shell sand from the recycled mould and calcium carbonate/metakaolin were used as raw materials to prepare geopolymer slurry and coating. The influence of mixing ratio and the SiO₂/K₂O modulus of the alkali solution on the setting time and green/fired strength were evaluated. Ceramic shells with one to four layers of geopolymer slurry and waste sand sprinkling were fabricated and tested for their permeability and green/fired strength. It was found that geopolymer shells had higher green/fired strength and better permeability than the original zircon/mullite shell. For foundry practice, metal casts were fabricated using recycled ceramic shell moulds with one to four layers of geopolymer coating. All cast results have their dimensions all within tolerance limitation and up to 13 h can be saved for the preparation of shell moulds.

Aggregate sludge is a waste product produced from crushing, screening, and washing processes at aggregate plants. Because of the large quantity and high treatment cost of this sludge, it cannot be disposed of as landfill, and thus, has caused environmental concern over the years in Taiwan. In this preliminary study, the recycled aggregate sludge was reutilized for construction applications through the geopolymerization process. The ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and fly ash (FA) were selected as alkaline activated materials for the fabrication of sludge geopolymer. Several process parameters that may affect the mechanical and physical properties of geopolymer were investigated. These parameters are sludge/GGBFS/FA ratios, solid/liquid (alkali solution) ratio, the molarity of NaOH, and curing time. According to the test results, the compressive strength of geopolymer specimens (70/30 sludge/GGBFS ratios) made with 4 M and 6 M NaOH can reach 39.17 MPa and 43.6 MPa after 28 days of curing. The specimen made with 60/40 sludge/GGBFS ratios has a strength of 61.3 MPa. After replacing GGBFS with 10% fly ash (70/20/10 sludge/GGBFS/FA), the strength of the specimen can also reach 43 MPa. According to the test results obtained in this study, it was found that the higher the NaOH concentration, the higher the strength of the geopolymer, and the GGBFS also can contribute more to the mechanical properties of geopolymer than fly ash. This preliminary study suggests that it is possible to reutilize aggregate sludge for construction applications and solve its environmental disposal problem.

Reducing or eliminating cracks caused by shrinkage of cementitious materials remains a daunting challenge for construction engineers. Drying shrinkage and autogenous shrinkage are the main shrinkage types in the service process of cement-based materials, which have a great impact on engineering applications. If cracks in concrete generate by drying or autogenous shrinkage, the mechanical properties, water resistance and durability of concrete will be also affected. It is an effective method to use chemical admixtures to inhibit the shrinkage of cement-based materials. Polycarboxylate plasticizer (PCE) is an important chemical admixture in cement-based materials and is widely used in practical engineering. It can bring great value by reducing the shrinkage effect through molecular design. Through our innovative design, a series of shrinkage-reducing polycarboxylate superplasticizers (SRPs) were synthesized, their molecular structures were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and their molecular properties were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Furthermore, the shrinkage performances at different ages of the mortars containing the synthesized SRPs with different structures were systematically evaluated. The results showed that compared with the blank sample, the dry shrinkage rate and free shrinkage rate of the mortars containing SRP decreased by over 20% and 15%, respectively. Additionally, the shrinkage rates of the mortars containing SRP were significantly lower than that of the mortar containing conventional PCE, and moreover, the water-reducing performance was improved compared to conventional PCE. Based on the experimental results of surface tension and evaporation rate of different SRP solutions, the mechanism of the shrinkage-reducing effect was probed, as expected to provide guidance for the design and development of new shrinkage-reducing admixtures.

This study explores the practicability of using drill cutting (DC) as raw material to fabricate building bricks through the high-temperature sintering method and low-temperature geopolymeric setting (LTGS) process. Drilling mud can be recycled and reutilized after certain treatment procedures and is considered as a non-hazardous waste. However, the treatment process is time-consuming and not cost-effective. For the sintering method, low porosity and high mechanical strength bricks can be sintered at temperatures above 800 °C and meet CNS standards. For the low-temperature geopolymeric setting process, sodium silicate was selected as an activating agent for geopolymerization of drill cutting. Several process parameters, such as Si₂O/Na₂O modulus of alkali solution and low-temperature geopolymeric setting temperature, were investigated. The physical and mechanical properties of the fabricated brick were evaluated. According to the test results, 72.4 MPa compressive strength building bricks with low porosity (13.9%) and water absorption (6.0%) can be fabricated with 2.0 Si₂O/Na₂O alkali solution at 500 °C. The drill cutting brick fabricated not only meets the CNS 382.R2002 common brick standard, but also solve its disposal problem.