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Description
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) production significantly contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions . Geopolymers synthesized from metakaolin offer an eco-friendly alternative, though unreinforced matrices can exhibit microstructural brittleness under load . Incorporating fiber reinforcement enhances mechanical performance and structural behavior . This study analyzed the effect of fibers derived from recycled municipal solid waste containers on the compressive strength of a geopolymer matrix composed of metakaolin and sand.
Geopolymer composites were synthesized using metakaolin and sand (1:1 mass ratio) activated with a 10 M NaOH and aqueous sodium silicate solution. Shredded white or green container waste fibers were incorporated at 5% and 7% volume fractions, and mechanical testing was performed after 28 days of curing. Two series of geopolymer samples were tested: fibers of a white waste container and fibers of a green waste container. In the white container series, adding 5 vol.% fibers increased compressive strength from 35.0 MPa (reference) to 37.5 MPa, while a 7 vol.% content produced a 14% enhancement – 39,9 MPa. For the green container series, a 7 vol.% fiber content successfully raised compressive strength by 4% compared to the reference sample (27.9 MPa).
The test results indicate that addition of shredded waste from waste containers effectively improves the compressive strength of metakaolin-based geopolymers, confirming the potential for recycling municipal plastics from containers to provide functional reinforcement for sustainable building materials.
Keywords: geopolymers, fiber reinforcement, waste fibers, sustainable materials
Literature:
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