Thermal, X-ray diffraction and oedometric analyses of silt-waste/NaOH-activated metakaolin geopolymer composite

The present research investigates the possibility to create a silt-waste reinforced composite through a NaOH-activated, metakaolin-based geopolymerization process. In this regard, we used thermal exo–endo analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and oedometric mechanical tests to characterize the produced composites. In our experimental conditions, the tested material mixtures presented exothermic peaks with maximum temperatures of about 100◦ C during the studied geopolymerization process. In general, the XRD analyses showed the formation of amorphous components and new mineral phases of hydrated sodalite, natrite, thermonatrite and trona. From oedometric tests, we observed a different behavior of vertical deformation related to pressure (at RT) for the various produced composites. The present work indicated that the proposed geopolymerization process to recycle silt-waste produced composite materials with various and extended mineralogy and chemical– physical properties, largely depending on both the precursors and the specific alkaline-activating solution. Thermal analysis, XRD, and oedometric mechanical tests proved to be fundamental to characterize and understand the behavior of the newly formed composite material.