Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, Vol 28 No 6 (2024): 1428 – 1441

 

GEOPOLYMER FOAM REINFORCED NANOCELLULOSE PREPARED IN LOW MOLARITY ALKALINE SOLUTION: OPTIMISATION OF COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

 

(Geopolimer Berliang Diperkukuh Dengan Nanoselulosa Disediakan Dalam Kepekatan Rendah Larutan Beralkali: Pengoptimuman Kekuatan Mampatan)

 

Chai Hua Tay1,4, Norkhairunnisa Mazlan2,3,4, Aimrun Wayayok5, Mohd Salahuddin Mohd Basri6, and

Mohd Mustafa Albakri Abdullah7

 

1Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Product, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

2Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor

3Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ION2), Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor

4Aerospace Malaysia Research Center, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor

5Department of Biological and Agriculture Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

6Department of Process and Food Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

7Construction Materials Engineering and Technology at Center of Excellence, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000 Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: norkhairunnisa@upm.edu.my

 

 

Received: 11 November 2023; Accepted: 4 June 2024; Published:  29 December 2024

 

 

Abstract

In this work, Nanocellulose (NC) reinforced geopolymer foams are prepared in a low molarity potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution between 0.32M and 1.62M. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is used to design experiments and optimise the compressive strength of the resulting geopolymer foam. The factors studied are seawater/potassium silicate (SW/KSil), potassium hydroxide/potassium chloride (KOH/KCl), sodium lauryl ether sulphate/benzalkonium chloride (SLES/BAC) and hydrogen peroxide/nanocellulose (H2O2/NC). The model adequacy checking revealed that the RSM model fits the data of this study well. All the factors are found to be significant with p <0.05. Surface plots revealed that in the low molarity environment, increasing the H2O2 content resulted in a steady decrement of compressive strength of geopolymer foam by 88%. In the geopolymer slurry stabilised with BAC, increasing the KOH concentration improved the compressive strength by up to 60%. On the other hand, in the geopolymer slurry stabilised with SLES, increasing KOH concentration resulted in decreasing compressive strength up to 50%. Higher formation of geopolymer nanogel is detected from the microscopical images at higher KOH concentration. The presence of geopolymer adhesion on the surface of NC was also presented. The predicted optimum compressive strength was 0.69 MPa. In conclusion, an optimisation of the composition for the geopolymer foam was conducted to achieve an optimum compressive strength which subsequently placed the produced foams comparable to Class I of low strength concrete for insulation and void filler applications.  

 

Keywords: Response surface methodology, geopolymer foam, nanocellulose, compressive strength, optimisation

 

 

 

Abstrak

Dalam kerja ini, geopolimer berliang yang diperkuatkan dengan nanoselulosa disediakan dalam larutan kalium hidroksida (KOH) kemolaran rendah antara 0.32M hingga 1.62M. Metodologi Tindak Balas Permukaan (RSM) digunakan untuk mereka bentuk eksperimen dan mengoptimumkan kekuatan mampatan. Faktor yang dikaji ialah air laut/kalium silikat (SW/KSil), kalium hidroksida/kalium klorida (KOH/KCl), natrium lauril eter sulfat/benzalkonium klorida (SLES/BAC) dan hidrogen peroksida/nanoselulosa (H2O2/NC). Semakan kecukupan model mendedahkan bahawa model sesuai dengan data dengan baik dalam kajian ini. Kesemua faktor didapati signifikan dengan p <0.05. Plot permukaan mendedahkan bahawa dalam persekitaran kemolaran rendah, peningkatan kandungan H2O2 mengakibatkan penurunan kekuatan mampatan geopolimer berliang yang stabil sebanyak 88%. Dalam buburan geopolimer yang distabilkan oleh BAC, peningkatan kepekatan larutan KOH daripada 0.32M kepada 1.62M membawa kepada peningkatan kekuatan mampatan sebanyak 60%. Dalam buburan geopolymer yang distabilkan oleh SLES, penurunan kekuatan mampatan adalah sebanyak 50%. Imej mikroskopik mendedahkan kehadiran nanogel geopolimer dalam sampel geopolimer, dengan pembentukan yang lebih tinggi dalam kepekatan larutan KOH yang lebih tinggi. Terdapat juga kehadiran lekatan geopolimer pada permukaan NC. Kekuatan mampatan optimum yang diramalkan ialah 0.69MPa. Kekuatan mampatan yang dicapai meletakkan geopolimer berliang dalam jenis konkrit kekuatan rendah Kelas I, dengan potensi penggunaan sebagai bahan penebat dan pengisi lompang.

 

Kata kunci: Metodologi tindak balas permukaan, geopolymer berliang, nanoselulosa, kekuatan mampatan, pengoptimuman

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