Compressive Strength and CO2 Mineralization Mechanism of Copper Slag-GGBS Alkali-Activated Geopolymer Composites Enhanced by MgO and Biochar

TL;DR

This study explores using industrial waste and biochar to create strong, carbon-sequestering construction materials.

Contribution

A novel approach combining MgO and biochar to enhance geopolymer compressive strength and CO2 mineralization.

Findings

5% MgO increases early compressive strength by 89.5%.

1.5% durian shell biochar improves strength and CO2 capture.

Optimal formulation mineralizes 40.2 kg CO2 per ton of waste.

Abstract

The escalating accumulation of industrial solid wastes (e.g., copper slag: CS, ground-granulated blast furnace slag: GGBS) and carbon-intensive cement production has intensified environmental challenges, driving the demand for sustainable construction materials that synergize waste valorization with carbon sequestration. This study investigates the evaluation of the compressive strength, mineralogical evolution, and real-time CO2 capture of the alkali-activated geopolymer composite materials by optimizing the mixed design of precursor materials (CS/GGBS ratio: 7/3) with MgO (0–10%) and coconut shell (CSB), peanut shell (PSB), and durian shell biochar (DSB) (0–3%). Results reveal that the 5% MgO addition achieves an 89.5% early-age compressive strength increase versus the MgO-free specimen. The compressive strength of the geopolymer composite could be further increased by a 1.5% dosage of DSB with an average pore size of 8.98 nm. In addition, the incorporation of an appropriate amount of porous biochar could not only enhance the CO2 capture capacity of the geopolymer composite, but also further improve the CO2 mineralization efficiency. The optimal formulation (5% MgO + 1.5% DSB) could mineralize 40.2 kg CO2 per ton of solid waste at least. This work highlights a sustainable strategy for synchronizing industrial solid waste valorization with carbon-negative construction providing scalable CO2 sequestration solutions.

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