Sustainable, environmentally friendly material production with potential applications

In this study, the usability of different industrial and agricultural wastes in the production of geopolymer materials and some applications of these materials were examined. In this context, three different aluminosilicate sources, two different types of fly ash and blast furnace slag, were used as raw materials. In the experiments carried out using these raw materials, the effect of the type and amount of raw material, the effect of the alkali activator type and concentration, NaOH and KOH, the effect of the type and amount of silicates, Na2SiO3 and K2SiO3, were examined and ideal geopolymer materials with optimum values were obtained. It is aimed to reduce the use of chemicals in production by adding the ashes of three different agricultural wastes, johnsongrass, corn husk and peanut husk, to the structure for the production of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials based on ideally determined samples. In order to determine the physical properties of the obtained materials, curing temperature and kinetics at 25, 50 and 75 °C, density values, resistance to acid and water environment and compressive strength were investigated. XRF, XRD, SEM-EDX and FT-IR analyzes were performed for the characterization of the wastes used and the materials obtained within the scope of the study. With these analyzes, elemental analysis of the samples, crystalline/amorphous structures, surface morphological structures and functional groups were determined. In addition, the usability of some of the samples obtained as an adsorbent in the removal of toxic dyestuffs by adsorption method was investigated. As a result of the experiments, it was determined that it provides over 85% dyestuff removal and kinetically complies with the pseudo-second-order and Avrami models. In order to examine the usability of geopolymer materials in the immobilization of radioactive wastes, samples containing cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr) elements were kept in water environment for 28 days by encapsulation matrix method. According to the results of SEM-EDX and XRF analysis, it was determined that radioactive elements could be retained in the matrix at approximately 90% levels. It has been determined that the obtained sustainable and environmentally friendly geopolymer material can be used in building material, coating material and toxic substance removal, and in storage areas of radioactive wastes.