GEOPOLYMERS BASED ON BULGARIAN RAW MATERIALS – PRELIMINARY STUDIES

The geopolymers are novel class of inorganic polymer materials consist of chains, sheets or networks made of covalently bonded mineral molecules. The main precursors of the geopolymers are reactive alumosilicate material and hardener solution. Various suitable raw materials are located in Bulgaria. The present paper shows successful examples of geopolymers based on Bulgarian raw materials – fly ash, metakaolin, natural zeolite and iron-rich waste from copper industry. The properties and structure of the prepared geopolymers greatly depend on the composition and type of the raw material, as well as concentration and type of the activator solution. The results show the potential of geopolymers based on Bulgarian raw materials as building materials.