KINETIC CRYSTALLIZATION OF GEOPOLYMER

• Main Author: Zamri, Nur Hanie
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS 2012
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/6171/1/Nur%20Hanie%20Zamri%20%2812140%29.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/6171/

The geopolymer was introduced by Davidovits on 1978 to describe inorganic network. Geopolymer is an alternative binders for the Portland Cement (PC) due to many factors such as better chemical and mechanical characteristic concrete and an enviroment issues like emmision of Carbon Dioxide. The aim of this research is to conduct a study on the crystallization kinetic’s of geopolymer using the Avrami Kinetic Theory. Tests were carried out using Leatherhead Food Research Association (LFRA) Texture Analyzer to analyze the crystallization profile. This project involved the investigation on different types of alkaline solution and alkaline concentration at different range of temperature. The result indicates that the Potassium Hydroxide at low concentration has better performance in achieving an optimum time for geopolymerization process. Higher temperature is recommended to crystallize the geopolymer as it shorter the setting time. However, the geopolymer still crystallized at room temperature. Based on the kinetic study, the growth rate (K) increased with the concentration of solution and temperature. The Avrami exponent (n) trend was increasing as growth rate increases and vice versa.