In the CO2 emission remediation by means of alternative geopolymers as substitutes for cements

Abstract Here we present a geopolymer as a sustainable alternative for cements. The geopolymer binder is presented in a dry form (dry mixing method). The geopolymer has demonstrated to be ideal candidate to mitigate the typical carbon footprint emissions of cements, such as Portland. The potential global benefits include a reduction of up to 1480 million tons of CO 2 per year when compare with Portland cement. In this design, it is proposed an alkali-activated cementitious material that is made out of a mix of silica-rich sand and sodium carbonate. Such sand has 80–85 wt% SiO 2 and 15–20 wt% mixed rock grain. This composition is processed at temperatures around 850 °C that is 650 °C less than that for Portland cements. One of the benefits is that the use of limestone is eliminated resulting in such reductions in CO 2 emissions. The emission analysis is carried during a calcination process used to analyze the decarbonation or CO 2 emission step. This work presents a complementary characterization of the products including an infrared spectroscopy analysis and thermogravimetry.