Multi-Waste Geopolymer Binders for Low-Carbon Construction: A Consolidated Review, Cross-Study Synthesis and Policy Roadmap Integrating Mining Residues, Volcanic Pozzolans and Post-Consumer Glass

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides a consolidated dataset and a unified framework for comparing geopolymer mixes, offering a reference for future optimization and LCA studies.

🏢実務担当者:Construction firms can use the cost and performance data to evaluate geopolymer binders as a low-carbon alternative for non-structural applications.

🏛政策担当者:The paper’s policy roadmap and recommendations for building codes and curricula revision can inform national low-carbon construction strategies.

The construction sector remains one of the most carbon-intensive branches of the global economy, and Portland cement clinker is consistently identified as the single largest contributor within that footprint. Over the last decade, geopolymer binders synthesized from industrial and post-consumer waste streams have moved from laboratory curiosity toward a credible structural alternative, yet the literature on the subject remains fragmented: individual studies typically examine one waste stream, one activator chemistry, or one durability mechanism in isolation. This paper consolidates three recent, methodologically distinct experimental investigations (i) a mechanical and durability assessment of geopolymer concrete incorporating coal-mine bottom ash, copper slag, demolition waste and manufactured sand [1]; (ii) a carbon-accounting and cost comparison of Ecuadorian pumice-based geopolymer pastes against General-Use Portland cement, including silica-fume and brick-dust mineral additions [2]; and (iii) a fusion-condition study on sodium silicate synthesized from waste glass powder and its effect on binary fly-ash/slag geopolymer mortar strength [3] into a single, cross-referenced narrative. Beyond summarizing and re-plotting the reported findings in a common analytical frame, this work contributes an original synthesis in four respects. First, it proposes a unified Sustainability–Performance Map that positions every reported mix from the three studies on comparable axes of mechanical performance and environmental benefit, exposing trade-offs that are invisible when each paper is read in isolation. Second, it proposes a conceptual, technology-agnostic framework a Unified Multi-Waste Precursor Database coupled with an AI-assisted mix-optimization module and a blockchain-based digital carbon passport that is not described in any of the source studies and is offered here as a direction for future toolchain development. Third, it discusses the societal, regulatory and pedagogical gaps that keep laboratory-proven low-carbon binders from reaching mainstream construction practice, including concrete recommendations for revising civil-engineering curricula and building codes. Fourth, it proposes an expanded future research agenda spanning long-term durability, life-cycle-assessment standardization, and policy incentives. The consolidated evidence indicates that mineral-waste-enriched geopolymer systems can simultaneously reduce water absorption by roughly a third, improve acid resistance to near-total strength retention, and cut cradle-to-gate CO2 emissions by approximately 12–70% relative to conventional cement systems, while remaining within a realistic cost envelope for non-structural and semi-structural applications. The paper closes with an extended discussion of the institutional and policy changes needed to translate these laboratory gains into large-scale decarbonization of the built environment.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21259621first seen 2026-07-10 05:18:51 · last seen 2026-07-10 05:29:00