Dong Yanhui, Gao Runhui, Li Yefan, Wang Fuchen
Key Laboratory of Deep Petroleum Intelligent Exploration and Development, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.
College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Gels. 2025 Jun 30;11(7):507. doi: 10.3390/gels11070507.
Microwave curing has proven to be a highly effective method for enhancing the structural integrity, compressive strength, and heavy metal immobilization performance of geopolymer (GP) gels. For fly ash-based GP gels, optimal compressive strength (126.84 MPa) and minimal heavy metal ion leaching (0.01 mg/L) were achieved under microwave irradiation at 100 W for 75 s. Similarly, metakaolin-based GP gels reached peak compressive strength (76.84 MPa) and reduced heavy metal leaching (0.44 mg/L) under 440 W irradiation for 60 s. Microwave energy significantly accelerates geopolymerization by promoting the aggregation of dispersed particles, rapidly forming a dense, block-like matrix. This accelerated densification enhances the mechanical properties of GP gels within minutes. Moreover, the dense matrix structure effectively encapsulates heavy metal ions, minimizing their leaching through a combination of physical encapsulation and chemical bonding. In summary, microwave treatment significantly enhances both mechanical performance and heavy metal immobilization, offering a practical pathway for sustainable applications.
微波固化已被证明是一种提高地质聚合物（GP）凝胶结构完整性、抗压强度和重金属固定性能的高效方法。对于粉煤灰基GP凝胶，在100W微波辐射下照射75秒，可实现最佳抗压强度（126.84MPa）和最低重金属离子浸出量（0.01mg/L）。同样，偏高岭土基GP凝胶在440W辐射下照射60秒时达到峰值抗压强度（76.84MPa），重金属浸出量降低（0.44mg/L）。微波能量通过促进分散颗粒的聚集，显著加速地质聚合反应，迅速形成致密的块状基质。这种加速致密化在几分钟内增强了GP凝胶的机械性能。此外，致密的基质结构有效地包裹了重金属离子，通过物理包裹和化学键合的组合将其浸出量降至最低。总之，微波处理显著提高了机械性能和重金属固定能力，为可持续应用提供了一条切实可行的途径。
