Mechanical investigation of alkali-activated prefabricated sustainable wall panels using ashes and stone dust

There is an increasing trend for the development of sustainable structural elements. Because of the massive scale, sustainable materials, methods, and practices can make a significant difference in the construction industry. This research uses locally available wastes like bagasse ash, fly ash, and stone dust along with silty clay for the development of versatile prefabricated wall panels. The goal is to find an optimized design of wall panels based on strength, weight, and cost. 20 panels were cast by varying three material compositions and two Na 2 SiO 3 /NaOH (SS/SH) ratios. The results show that wall panels have adequate strength to take care of the flexural and axial loading for houses. Based on weight /density clay-based panels are 5.7 % and stone dust-based panels are 5 % lighter than cement-based panels. The stone dust-based ferrocement geopolymer panel with a 1.5 SS/SH ratio has attained an ultimate load of 125 kN, which is close to the cement-based ferrocement panel load of 136 kN. The material cost of GPC wall panels is nearly similar to a brick masonry wall. However, in the case of cement panels, the cost is 47 % less than that of the brick masonry wall. At the same time, cement panels can have an adverse impact on the environment, firstly by reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and secondly by utilization of waste ashes damaging the environment.