Low carbon building materials with agricultural wastes: Combination of geopolymeric development with poured earth technology

Project Description

Geopolymer reaction is a known low carbon alternative for earth stabilization, but the availability of raw material is a limiting factor for its implementation as it requires alkaline solutions which are usually made from commercial products. For ecological and economical purposes, some studies have tried to replace commercial silicates by using rice husk ashes reacting with alkaline hydroxyl, but no studies have managed to replace the alkaline hydroxyl.
The rice production generates tons of rice husk wastes. In addition, the harvest of cocoa beans generates tons of cocoa pod husk wastes. These wastes are a source of diseases for cocoa production. Cocoa pod husk ashes are a good source of potassium and preliminary research has shown that they could be a good replacement for commercial potassium hydroxide. The two bio-wastes will be used to produce potassium silicate for low-cost geopolymer bricks.