INFLUENCE OF SODIUM BASED ALKALINE ACTIVATOR TO BINDER RATIO ON THE COMPRESSIVE STRENTH OF FLY ASH SUGARCANE BAGASSE ASH GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE

The most widely used construction material in the world is concrete, which is composed of cement, aggregates, water, and additives.It is also the most cost-effective, adaptable, and convenient option.Cement is the second most consumed element after water, which is highly harmful to the environment.This is due to the fact that the manufacture of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) devastates the environment by emitting carbon dioxide (CO2) and depleting our most precious resource, which is nature.Although the production of cement accounts for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, OPC is still frequently used to build rigid structures.Finding a substitute for the current cement as a binding agent is therefore urgently needed.Since the early 1900s, geopolymer has been proposed as a cutting-edge building material that is created by activating pozzolanic materials with an alkaline solution.Industrial by-products such as fly ash (FA) and Sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA)has a significant potential in transforming into geopolymer binder.When these two industrial waste products react with an alkaline solution, they generate aluminosilicate gel, which serves as the binding substance for concrete.However, the production process of alkaline solution requires a significant amount of sand, which is deemed not sustainable.Additionally, the cost of the commercially available alkaline solutions is too high.These are a few of the reasons why geopolymer is not fully utilized in the global construction sector.It was unfortunate that the industry has not fully embraced this superior alternative building material..