Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11517, Egypt.
Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 21;13(1):4611. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-31581-0.
Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as an alkaline activator presents a vital limitation in the mass production of alkali-activated binders due to its severe effect on users' safety. In this study, safe and sustainable one-part alkali-activated slag mixes (OP-AAS) were prepared through an efficient microwave sintering for a mixture of active amorphous ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and sodium hydroxide powder (NaOH). Different microwave-sintered powders were prepared using microwave energy of power 900 W for the mixture at different treatment periods (10, 20, and 30 min). Fresh and hardened properties of different OP-AAS mixes were studied. Moreover, the phase composition and microstructure were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cytotoxicity/viability testing was performed to evaluate the cell death induced by the developed materials to measure their safety for the user. According to compressive strength, cytotoxicity/viability analysis, environmental impact and cost calculation of developed OP-AAS, it is concluded that employing microwave sintering for a short duration is sufficient to produce safe binding materials with adequate mechanical properties suitable for commercial applications in the construction sector.
氢氧化钠(NaOH)作为一种碱性激发剂,由于其对使用者安全的严重影响,在碱激发粘结剂的大规模生产中存在重大限制。在这项研究中,通过高效的微波烧结,制备了安全且可持续的单组分碱激发矿渣混合料(OP-AAS),该混合料由活性非晶态磨细粒化高炉矿渣(GGBFS)和氢氧化钠粉末(NaOH)组成。使用功率为 900 W 的微波能量,对混合物进行不同的处理时间(10、20 和 30 分钟),制备了不同的微波烧结粉末。研究了不同 OP-AAS 混合料的新鲜和硬化性能。此外,还通过 X 射线衍射(XRD)分析和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)研究了物相组成和微观结构。通过细胞毒性/活力测试来评估开发材料诱导的细胞死亡,以测量其对使用者的安全性。根据抗压强度、细胞毒性/活力分析、环境影响和开发的 OP-AAS 的成本计算,得出的结论是,采用短时间的微波烧结足以生产出具有足够机械性能的安全粘结材料,适用于建筑领域的商业应用。