Abrasion Resistance and Microstructural Properties of Sustainable Geopolymer Mortar Produced with Hybrid Blends of GGBFS and Various Earth Materials

Abstract

The objective of this experimental study was to investigate the impact of different earth precursors, partially substituted with ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), at varying replacement levels of 0–25% with 5% increments, on abrasion resistance, SEM analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests after 90 days and compressive strength with dry density test at 28 days curing age. The precursors derived from waste aluminosilicate sources, such as metakaolin (MK), pumice powder (PP), waste ceramic powder (C), and bentonite (B), were utilized to produce GPMs. A total of 21 different combinations from four distinct series were produced. Depending on the results, it was found that all earth materials used had a positive effect on all properties at various replacement ratios. After 28 days, the mix containing 5% B reached its maximum strength of 64.15 MPa. The maximum values for abrasion resistance and compressive strength were obtained when the replacement level was 10% for all precursors, except bentonite, which achieved the best results at a replacement level of 5%. At a 25% replacement level, pumice powder showed superior performance on all properties compared to other precursors. Furthermore, the impact of the replacement level and precursor types was statistically evaluated using the two-way analysis of variance (MINITAB-ANOVA) technique. The statistical study showed that all variables had a substantial impact on the characteristics of the geopolymer mortar. The proposed geopolymer materials possess inherent stability, making them viable and sustainable substitutes for conventional construction materials.