ASES II. INTERNATIONAL KAYSERI SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CONFERENCE, Kayseri, Türkiye, 26 - 28 Ocak 2024, ss.1-9
Cement, the binder component of concrete, which is the most widely used in the construction
industry, emits a significant amount of CO2 to nature during production and utilization. Due to
global warming which threatens the future of our world, it is desired to reduce the production
of cement and the consumption of traditional concrete. At this point, geopolymer stands out as
it is one of the sustainable technologies. In this study, early-age mechanical and microstructural
properties of geopolymer composite mortars were investigated using obsidian powder as a
binder and NaOH as an alkali activator. Geopolymer mortar specimens were produced by TS
EN 196-1 standard with dimensions of 40x40x160 mm, and 3 samples were used for each
mechanical test. Geopolymer mortars were cured at 90 °C, and compressive strengths were
measured at 2, 4, and 8 hours. Also, SEM analysis was conducted to determine the microstructural properties of the mechanically tested specimens. To sum up, geopolymer mortar
with obsidian powder gained 8 MPa compressive strength value for 8h curing time.