Engineering Properties of Geopolymer Concrete Incorporating Fly Ash and Clay

It has been well known from the previous literature that the production process of one ton of cement contributes to the emission of nearly one ton of carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere. Geopolymer concrete is completely devoid of cement and hence is considered as a sustainable alternative to the normal concrete. The key properties investigated in the present study include the compressive strength, flexural strength and water absorption of the fly ash clay based geopolymer concrete (GPC). Three types of clay were used in the study, viz., accumulated clayey soil (clay 1), surface clay (clay 2) and sub-surface clay (clay 3). The clays were incorporated in the system, in its raw state and after incorporating lime. It was observed that the engineering properties got enhanced after incorporating 3% of lime in the clays, when compared to that of raw clay based concrete specimens.