Freeze-thaw cycle and abrasion resistance of alkali-activated FA and POFA-based mortars: Role of high volume GBFS incorporation

Alkali-activated binders made from various waste products can appreciably reduce the emission of CO₂ and enhance the waste recycling efficiency, thus making them viable substitutes to ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based binders. Waste materials including fly ash (FA), palm oil fuel ash (POFA), and granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) reveal favorable effects when applied to alkali-activated mortars (AAMs) that are mainly related to the high contents of silica, alumina, and calcium. Therefore, fifteen AAM mixes enclosing FA, POFA with high volume of GBFS were designed. The obtained GBFS/FA/POFA-based AAMs were subjected wet/dry and freeze/thaw cycles. The impact of various GBFS contents on the microstructures, freeze-thaw cycle, abrasion resistance, mechanical and durability features of the proposed AAMs were evaluated. The results showed that presence of Ca can significantly affect the AAMs durability features and long-term performance. The abrasion resistance of the AAMs was decreased with the decrease of CaO contents. Furthermore, the abrasion depth of 70% AAMs (0.8 mm) was lower in comparison to the mix made by replacing 50 wt% of FA with GBFS (1.4 mm). Generally, increase in the GBFS contents from 50 to 70% could largely impact the AAMs properties under aggressive environmental exposure. The expansion and physical impacts during the freezing-thawing cycles was argued to destroy the bonds in C–S–H and paste-aggregates, causing the formation of large cracks. It is asserted that the AAM mixes made from FA, POFA and high volume of GBFS may offer definitive mechanical, durable, and environmental benefits with their enhanced performance under aggressive environments.