Enhancing Sustainable Geopolymer Concrete with The Use of Recycled Water and Blended Waste Powder

Abstract

Rapid industrialization has led to the accumulation of hazardous waste materials, such as Red Mud (RM), Slag, and Fly Ash (FA), which present significant environmental challenges. The construction industry, particularly cement production, also contributes heavily to global CO₂ emissions. This research investigates the development of geopolymer concrete using RM, FA, Slag, and Recycled Water (RW) as sustainable alternatives to traditional cement. The objective is to optimize the mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete while minimizing its environmental impact. A series of trial mixes were developed, with mechanical tests for compressive, tensile, and flexural strength performed at various curing periods (7, 28, and 56 days). The results indicate that geopolymer concrete with recycled water performs comparably to that made with normal water, achieving compressive strengths up to 45 MPa and flexural strengths up to 10 MPa. While the workability of the geopolymer concrete was lower than that of conventional concrete, the overall performance shows that RM, FA, and Slag-based geopolymer concrete is a viable, eco-friendly alternative. The study concludes that geopolymer concrete can substantially reduce the environmental footprint of construction while offering mechanical properties suitable for structural applications. Further research is suggested to improve its workability for practical use.