New Geo-Polymers For The Construction Industry

With the ever increasing demand for Portland cement, the concrete industry requires novel solutions to address the challenge. On the other hand, production of Portland cement contributes almost 7% of total CO2 emission to the atmosphere. Inorganic polymer concrete or Geopolymer could be the next generation concrete that not only combat the cement shortage but also provides the sustainable solution that provides cost effective concretes with improved performances. Most of Geopolymer mix designs are based on blending with aggregates which is the resulting mixture can be simply cast in the same way as Portland cement based concrete. However, it provides improvement in concrete performance such as ion penetration, sulfate attack, acid attack, shrinkage and heat of hydration and durability compared to ordinary concrete.

CIE in partnership with James Hardie Industries are focusing on proprietary Geopolymer concretes to bring sustainable solutions for durable structures. The research is a great step for providing a new platform that answers the demand for urban society structure growth. It also will be new mix design formulations in compliance with Australian Concrete Structures code and similar international standards.

For years, various parts of cementitious products have been abundant and relatively inexpensive. Also, its natural structural properties and its ease of manufacture have assured its dominant position. However, with the growth of the economy, and the emerging significance of global environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect, there is a need to re-assess the widespread use of various products in building construction. This projects aims to find products with maximum compatibility with current methods and designs. At the same time, with introducing new concepts, new formulations and feasibility and development of new equipment will be employed.

Doctor Babak Abtahi