Research and Development on Alternative Material to Portland Cement

Abstract

Portland cenment industry is crucial to both economic and social development of developing country. Portland cement plays the major role to the both construction of basic infrastructures needed for both economic and social development. Despite the expansion of cement industry increases employments as well as US$ billions annual incomes to the country it also increases huge amount of both direct and indirect impacts to the environment. Research and development on alternative material to Portland cement believes to be an appropriate approach for mitigating environmental impacts without undermining economic and social development. A mixture of ash or fly ash and alkaline solution as a material with binding property, i.e. similar to Portland cement, is made and used among people in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the former Union Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) for century. Nevertheless, the exact chemical reaction between ash or fly ash and alkaline solution is not known until the last three decades. A systematic study in 1970 revealed the exact reaction between ash or fly ash and alkaline solution and later the term ‘geopolymer’ was given to such a material. Recent studies indicate that geopolymer has potential to be alternative to Portland cement.