Experimental Methodology for Developing Hybrid Geopolymer Mortar Incorporating Ceramic Waste Powder

Published July Month 2026 The increasing environmental impact associated with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) production has accelerated the development of sustainable cement-free construction materials. Among the emerging alternatives, geopolymer mortar has attracted considerable attention due to its lower carbon footprint and excellent engineering performance. This study presents a comprehensive experimental methodology for the development of a fully cement-free hybrid geopolymer mortar (HGM) incorporating ceramic waste powder (CWP) and silica fume (SF) as aluminosilicate precursors activated by sodium silicate. Four binder compositions comprising 100% CWP (Control 1), 90% CWP + 10% SF (C2), 80% CWP + 20% SF (C3), and 70% CWP + 30% SF (C4) were formulated to evaluate the influence of silica fume incorporation on the engineering performance of the geopolymer system. Specimens were cured under three curing regimes consisting of ambient curing (25–30°C), oven curing at 70°C, and oven curing at 100°C for 24 hours before storage under laboratory conditions. Mechanical performance was evaluated through compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), whereas durability performance was assessed using water absorption, porosity, intrinsic air permeability, capillary absorption, carbonation depth, and drying shrinkage. Microstructural development was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The proposed methodology provides a systematic and reproducible experimental framework for evaluating hybrid geopolymer mortars incorporating ceramic waste and demonstrates an effective approach for transforming industrial ceramic waste into sustainable construction materials suitable for tropical environments.

Geopolymer mortar Sustainable construction Ceramic waste powder Hybrid Geopolymer Mortar Silica fume Alkali activated materials

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