Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Start Date
14-5-2024 3:30 PM
End Date
14-5-2024 5:00 PM
Description
Application of carbon nanotube technology to fly-ash based geopolymer concrete for strength development and net-zeros aspect Authors Ms. Janell Prater - United States - University of Louisville Dr. Young Hoon Kim - United States - University of Louisville Abstract Fly ash is one of the viable options to reduce carbon emissions in the construction industry. As the construction industry is expected to consume 10% of the world's fresh water, water-conscious building materials is an essential technological development to lessen the impact of infrastructure on water security. Geopolymer concrete can be a solution to the construction industry in water-stressed regions. Geopolymerization is a process that produces cementitious materials from the reaction of an alkaline solution and an aluminosilicate-rich material. Contrary to conventional concrete’s hydration reaction, geopolymerization does not consume water, instead leaving it as a byproduct. This makes geopolymer concrete a potential net-zero water consumption and net-zero carbon emission product, provided apt recapturing technology. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are rolled up sheets of graphene that show remarkable tensile and other strength properties. In Portland cement-based concrete research, they have shown to improve mechanical properties when used as reinforcement filler. Another aspect of CNTs can provide the opportunity for solidifying carbon molecules and embedding a total carbon emission into the end-product. Preliminary testing used fly ash sourced from a local power plant in Kentucky. Parameters including curing conditions, mixture design, and CNTs’ presence were considered. Results found a slightly detrimental effect of CNT introduced at 0.162% of the fly-ash geopolymer precursor for heated (80 °C) curing with a sonication length of 8 min. The wet-curing regime appeared to be a more important factor to strength gain than CNT presence; however, further research is needed. Weight monitoring pre and post curing found that samples with CNTs experienced less weight loss, by %, than control samples, implying that CNTs helped the material hold onto water more. The post-curing water loss between fly-ash geopolymers with and without CNTs for different curing regimes should be explored more for the future of this study.
Document Type
Event
Application of carbon nanotube technology to fly-ash based geopolymer concrete for strength development and net-zeros aspect
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Application of carbon nanotube technology to fly-ash based geopolymer concrete for strength development and net-zeros aspect Authors Ms. Janell Prater - United States - University of Louisville Dr. Young Hoon Kim - United States - University of Louisville Abstract Fly ash is one of the viable options to reduce carbon emissions in the construction industry. As the construction industry is expected to consume 10% of the world's fresh water, water-conscious building materials is an essential technological development to lessen the impact of infrastructure on water security. Geopolymer concrete can be a solution to the construction industry in water-stressed regions. Geopolymerization is a process that produces cementitious materials from the reaction of an alkaline solution and an aluminosilicate-rich material. Contrary to conventional concrete’s hydration reaction, geopolymerization does not consume water, instead leaving it as a byproduct. This makes geopolymer concrete a potential net-zero water consumption and net-zero carbon emission product, provided apt recapturing technology. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are rolled up sheets of graphene that show remarkable tensile and other strength properties. In Portland cement-based concrete research, they have shown to improve mechanical properties when used as reinforcement filler. Another aspect of CNTs can provide the opportunity for solidifying carbon molecules and embedding a total carbon emission into the end-product. Preliminary testing used fly ash sourced from a local power plant in Kentucky. Parameters including curing conditions, mixture design, and CNTs’ presence were considered. Results found a slightly detrimental effect of CNT introduced at 0.162% of the fly-ash geopolymer precursor for heated (80 °C) curing with a sonication length of 8 min. The wet-curing regime appeared to be a more important factor to strength gain than CNT presence; however, further research is needed. Weight monitoring pre and post curing found that samples with CNTs experienced less weight loss, by %, than control samples, implying that CNTs helped the material hold onto water more. The post-curing water loss between fly-ash geopolymers with and without CNTs for different curing regimes should be explored more for the future of this study.
