Abstract:

Problems such as environmental disturbances, increasing greenhouse gases, unconscious and rapid consumption of raw materials force societies to produce sustainable green buildings and construction materials. The environmental and financial benefits of sustainable development and the circular economy largely depend on the disposal of waste or the ability to transform waste into new products. In this context, geopolymer concrete has attracted attention in recent years as an environmentally friendly material due to its superior mechanical and durability properties and ability to use many wastes as a precursor. Having a low carbon footprint and the use of industrial by-products such as fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, and volcanic-based ash make geopolymer concrete (GPC) a sustainable alternative to conventional concrete. Increasing construction demolition wastes and excessive use of natural resources in solid waste facilities have reached an alarming level for the ecological balance. Therefore, recycling of concrete waste; it is one of the most effective methods of solving solid waste problems, maintaining ecological balance, and protecting natural raw materials. But in the literature; although end-of-life strategies such as recycling and reuse for conventional concrete have been widely investigated, the applicability of such strategies for geopolymer concrete has not been adequately investigated. This article presents research examining the physical properties of recycled geopolymer aggregates and the mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete produced with recycled aggregates. As a result of literature research; compared to natural aggregates of the same grain size, it was observed that the water absorption rate of the recycled geopolymer aggregates was high, the grain density was low, the Los Angeles abrasion resistance was low, the pH value was high, and the potential ASR reactivity was low while it was observed that the mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete produced with recycled aggregates were higher than the mechanical properties of conventional concrete.

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