SYNTHESIS OF GEOPOLYMERS FOR USE FROM AMPHIBOLITE FOR APPLICATION IN CIVIL CONSTRUCTION AND COATING
geopolymers; mechanical properties; mining residue; experimental design (DOE).
Geopolymers have been presented as a promising alternative to replace Portland cement in the future. They are inorganic polymers produced from alkaline activation from aluminosilicate materials. To minimize the impact of carbon dioxide production, new sources of aluminosilicates have been studied as sustainable alternatives in obtaining geopolymers. Thus, in order to investigate the feasibility of using niobium mining residue (amphibolite) as a raw material in the synthesis of geopolymers, specimens with different molar ratios of SiO2/Al2O3, Na2O/SiO2 and H2O/ Na2O were prepared, under curing conditions at room temperature and mechanical performance tests were carried out. The work adopted the experimental design (DOE) and statistical analysis to build a model showing the relationship between mechanical strength and the influential factors.