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Study on mix ratio optimization, microstructure evolution, and economic benefits of iron tailings-fly ash-limestone powder ternary geopolymer

Kun Huang et al.

Journal of Cleaner Production2026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.147514article
AJG 1ABDC C
Weight
0.41

What the paper says

Iron ore tailings (IOT) can be synergistically combined with other solid wastes under alkaline conditions to form eco-friendly cementitious materials. This study synthesized a ternary geopolymer using sodium silicate (Na 2 SiO 3 ) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as a composite alkali activator, along with IOT, fly ash (FA), and limestone powder (LSP) as precursors. We systematically examined the effects of activator modulus ( M ), alkali-to-precursor ratio ( A / P ), water-to-binder ratio ( W / B ), and FA replacement ratio ( ω ) on mechanical performance through orthogonal design and single-factor testing. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis were employed to characterize the microstructure, pore features, and alkali-activation mechanism. A cost comparison between the developed geopolymer and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was also performed. Orthogonal test results revealed the following order of factor significance on strength: M > ω > A / P > W / B , with optimal levels of M = 1.2, A / P = 0.38, W / B = 0.26, and ω = 30 %. In single-factor tests, strength increased nonlinearly with extended curing time and reduced alkali modulus. A low-modulus activator ( M = 1.0) created a highly alkaline environment that accelerated the dissolution of reactive Si-Al components from FA/IOT and calcium from LSP. Interactions among these dissolved species promoted C-(A)-S-H gel formation, leading to a denser matrix. Compared with OPC, the geopolymer offered clear economic advantages in non-structural applications such as road subbase layers.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.147514

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@article{kun2026,
  title        = {{Study on mix ratio optimization, microstructure evolution, and economic benefits of iron tailings-fly ash-limestone powder ternary geopolymer}},
  author       = {Kun Huang et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Cleaner Production},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.147514},
}

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Evidence weight

0.41

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.25 × 0.4 = 0.10
M · momentum0.55 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.