ejmse.2025.10.02.151

THE IMPACT OF ADDING TIMBER WASTE ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF FLY ASH-BASED GEOPOLYMER COMPOSITES

European Journal of Materials Science and Engineering, Volume 10, Issue 2, 2025
PDF Full Article,  DOI: 10.36868/ejmse.2025.10.02.151,   pp. 151-162
Published: June 20, 2025

Dumitru Doru BURDUHOS-NERGIS1,2,*, Toma FISTOS 3, Andrei Victor SANDU 1,2,4,
Petrica VIZUREANU1,2,4,*

1 Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Prof. D. Mangeron Street, No. 41, 700050, Iasi, Romania.
2 Romanian Inventors Forum, Sf. P. Movila 3, Iasi, Romania.
3National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM Bucharest, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania.
4Academy of Romanian Scientists, 54 Splaiul Independentei St., Sect. 5, 050094 Bucharest, Romania;

* Corresponding author: peviz2002@yahoo.com

Abstract

The increasing demand for building materials has significantly heightened the consumption of virgin raw materials, particularly sand and gravel. As a result, there is an ongoing effort to identify alternative products that can be integrated into building material formulations. This initiative aims to enhance the properties of these materials while reducing the quantity of aggregates used. One promising alternative is timber waste or furniture scraps, which can serve as lightweight aggregates in building materials. Current literature discusses the influence of these products on the mechanical properties of geopolymers and conventional concrete. However, the interaction and effects of these organic particles on the microstructure of geopolymers have not been extensively studied. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the impact of wood particles on the morphology of fly ash-based geopolymers. To achieve this, mixtures containing 10%, 20%, and 30% wood content by weight were prepared. These mixtures were subjected to compressive strength tests, and the destruction zones were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy to observe the interface transition zone between the matrix and the reinforcing particles. The microstructure analysis revealed that, at certain percentages of wood waste, the particles were homogeneously distributed within the matrix and positively contributed to the mechanical properties of the composite. Furthermore, the type of particle was also significant; larger particles can slow down crack propagation, while smaller particles can fill pores, leading to a denser matrix. However, at high percentages, the wood particles tend to absorb large amounts of activator, negatively affecting the dissolution of fly ash particles, which ultimately results in a weaker matrix in terms of mechanical properties.

Keywords: Geopolymers composites, microstructural analysis, SEM, EDX, fly ash, wood addition.

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