Development of natural and industrial waste mineral fiber composites by alkaline activation method

Many researchers are working to develop a more economical and environmentally friendly binding construction material as an alternative to cement used in the concrete industry. For this purpose, efforts to develop a new, more environmentally friendly and economical building material called alkali activated concrete (AAC) which is produced without cement, continue to increase day by day. Concretes produced by alkaline activation offer high mechanical performance, low energy costs, low emissions (CO2, SO2, NO3, etc.), and less environmental impact by using waste materials. These binders provide early and higher strength, lower heat of hydration, and better chemical resistance than normal Portland cements. Therefore, efforts to improve concrete as a building material will continue. In this study, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) was used as the primary binder instead of cement and waste material from a quarry operation in Erzincan was used as the fine material. Additionally, the physical and mechanical properties of alkali-activated concretes (AAC) produced by activating the binder using Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Liquid Sodium Silicate (Na2SiO3) will be investigated. The study will examine the effects of the separate and hybrid fiber use of different types of fibers on the strength and durability properties of the produced concretes. As a result of all these studies, the way will be paved for the use of local resources as an alternative to cement. Based on the experimental results obtained, the behaviors of the samples will be interpreted, and the sample composition that shows the best performance will be determined. Keywords: Alkali activated concrete, Binder, Hybrid fiber use, Strength and durability properties, Waste materials