Geopolymer Concrete Preparation Using Gold Ore Tailings and Cost Comparison with Conventional Concrete

Abstract

Abstract This paper reviews the utilization of Gold Ore Tailings (GOTs) in manufacture of Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) along with Recycled Coarse Aggregates (RCAs). The paper also highlights the workability and mechanical properties of GPC. The results of the study demonstrated that the slump value of GPC samples was 35.1 mm for 15% replacement of GOTs to River Sand (RS) which was lower than that of Conventional Concrete (CC2) samples (i.e., 110 mm). The compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength of GPC samples were 47.8 MPa, 5.01 MPa and 6.98 MPa, respectively and these results were better when compared to CC2samples (i.e., compressive strength of 47.4 MPa, split tensile strength of 4.4 MPa and flexural strength of 4.89 MPa). The statistical analysis was conducted to predict the experimental results in which R2 values of developed model for compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength was 70%, 85.5%, and 89%, respectively. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) analysis of GPC samples observed development of rod-like ettringite, which makes the GPC paste more compact and denser. Finally, the cost analysis was done to know the economic feasibility of optimum mix of raw materials utilized for the manufacture of GPC and CC2. It was found that the cost of GPC was 38.20% more than that of CC2.