Manufacture of full-scale

geopolymer cement concrete

components: A case study
to highlight opportunities
and challenges
Brett Tempest, Clarke Snell, Thomas Gentry, Maria Trejo,
and Keith Isherwood

nnovators throughout the construction industry are

making great strides toward increased environmental sustainability by updating processes, improving
designs, and selecting greener materials. These aspects of
modernization are both a response to demand from building owners and operators and a necessary means to remain
competitive by achieving higher-performing buildings and
infrastructure. Concrete producers have systematically
improved the performance of their product by finding and
exploiting benefits that are unique to concrete construction.
These significant advances have included durable finishes,
superior insulative properties in multiwythe wall components, economy with formwork, and rapid constructibility.
The next frontier for the industry includes addressing the
greenhouse-gas emissions associated with portland cement
and further integrating the benefits of concrete materials
into building functions and operations.

Geopolymer cement is an alternative binder that is capable of

forming concrete with competent mechanical performance and
attractive environmental benefits.
This paper presents a case study of the manufacture of fullscale geopolymer cement concrete components.
This paper discusses mechanical characteristics of geopolymer
cement concrete, quality of form finishes, strategies for curing,
and challenges to full-scale production.

This paper describes the design and construction of a

concrete house that was designed to accommodate a
small family living in an urban environment. It is grid
neutral with regard to energy production, meaning that it
generates as much energy as it uses on an annual basis.
The house was a 2013 entry into the U.S. Department of
Energys Solar Decathlon.1 This biennial event engages
20 teams from universities around the world to design,
build, and operate solar-powered housing. Entries are

PCI Journal | N o ve m b e r D e c e m b e r 2015

39

judged on energy performance, architecture, innovation,

and economy.
The application of concrete in the building design was a
significant technical accomplishment due to the use of an
integrated thermal mass systema hydronic heating and
cooling system in the interior wythe of the wall panels
as well as its use of geopolymer cement as the concrete
binder. Although the concrete walls provide an impressive
architectural effect (Fig. 1), they are also a central component of the building energy system. In addition, they enable
greater overall material, energy, and construction efficiencies. The design team chose a concrete construction system
to provide overall building efficiency through continuous
insulation and thermal mass. Geopolymer cement concrete
was used to reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
and energy intensiveness of the concrete construction. The
concrete components of the structure include floor plates
cast integrally with grade beams and structural insulated
wall panels. This flatwork was fabricated into four pods for
transportation and ease of final assembly.

Geopolymer cements
Geopolymer cements are formed by dissolving aluminosilicate material in a strong alkaline solution. The
resulting paste can be mixed with aggregates and cured
to form concrete with strength and elastic characteristics
similar to those of portland cement concrete. Often the
aluminosilicate material of choice is fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion. Because geopolymer cement
concrete curing does not rely on hydration reactions, it is
particularly attractive for prestressed concrete construction for its rapid strength development and reduced tendency for shrinkage and creep compared with portland
cement concrete.
Because of its use of recycled materials and its independence from the CO2 emissions associated with portland
cement manufacture, geopolymer cement concrete promises to become an environmentally favorable material for
construction. Most advocates of geopolymers in construction have focused on the avoidance of CO2 emissions due
to combustion and to limestone calcination in portland
cement manufacture. Critical carbon footprint analyses
of geopolymer and portland cements have estimated the
reduction in CO2 associated with geopolymer cement to
range from as high as 80%2 to as low as 9%.3 The significant energy inputs that are unique to geopolymer cement
are due to elevated-temperature curing and the production of activating chemicals that are necessary to develop
its cementitious properties. However, unlike portland
cement concrete, geopolymer cement concrete presents
the possibility of reducing CO2 emissions using current
technology, for example by using waste heat for curing
or manufacturing activating chemicals with energy from
renewable or CO2-neutral sources.
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Nov e mb e r De c e mb e r 2 0 1 5 | PCI Journal

Figure 1. Precast geopolymer cement concrete house.

Despite the great promise shown by geopolymer cement

concrete through laboratory research,46 there are few
examples of full-scale production. Several sources have reported that flexural performance of reinforced geopolymer
cement concrete beams closely resembles that of similarly
reinforced portland cement concrete beams.710 Columns of
geopolymer cement concrete have also been investigated
and show such similar performance to portland cement
concrete as to warrant the use of existing design strategies
and code provisions.1113
Because geopolymer cement concrete requires much
of the same handling, mixing, and placement equipment as portland cement concrete, producing geopolymer cement concrete in a typical precasting facility is
feasible. However, some of the unique characteristics of
geopolymer cement concrete would necessitate changes
in the process before scaling up production from bench
scale to plant scale. The experience of manufacturing the
precast concrete insulated panels for the concrete house
is presented here as a case study of full-scale production
in a plant. First, a description of the geopolymerization process is presented to compare the material with
portland cement concrete. After this introduction, the
specifics of producing the panels for the concrete house
are presented along with suggestions for future research
and development.

Geopolymerization
When fly ash is introduced to concrete that contains
portland cement, the mixture develops strength through
a series of hydration reactions through which calcium
silicate hydrate forms. Contact between portland cement
grains and water initiates the reactions. Unlike portland cement hydration, geopolymerization may be described as a
three-phase process that is initiated by contact between an
aluminosilicate material (such as fly ash) and an activating
solution with high pH. These phases include dissolution,
reorientation, and hardening.

Dissolution
The aluminosilicate material is mixed with an alkaline
activating solution that releases silica and alumina monomers. The degree to which the aluminosilicate material
dissolves is related to the reactivity of the material, the
strength of the activating solution, and time.14,15 Activating
solutions are typically a combination of an alkaline soda,
such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, and a
soluble silica, such as sodium silicate. The proportions of
these solutions vary and are rarely reported due to their
proprietary nature. However, the concentration of effective
solutions typically ranges from approximately 1.7 to 3.3lb
(5 to 10N) sodium hydroxide per gallon of solution.

Reorientation
The alumina and silica monomers begin to reorganize and
condense into larger groups. As the groups form, water
molecules are released. The dissolution phase and the
alkalinity of the activating solution greatly affect the rate of
reaction.

Hardening
The reorientation phase results in a continuous polymeric
network of three-dimensional aluminosilicate structures.
The mass may harden slightly on its own depending on the
makeup of the source materials and the ambient conditions.
However, to gain significant strength, the material must be
cured with heat. A variety of temperatures has been investigated with a trend of increasing temperatures (up to 212F
[100C]) that lead to accelerated hardening and strength
gain.16 Temperatures below 140F (60C) have generally
been found to result in unsuitably slow reactions when
unmodified source materials are used.17
The dissolution and reorientation phases overlap to some
degree. Initiation of hardening tends to preclude further
transport of geopolymer precursors and causes an end to
these phases. Hardening may be initiated autogenously
through a drop in pH,18 or availability of nucleation sites
caused by the presence of calcium or iron in the mixture.19
The external application of heat also triggers hardening.
Dissolution and reorientation periods of more than 48hours
seem to provide few improvements in material performance.20 On completion of hardening, the material typically
exhibits at least 80% of its ultimate compressive strength.

Integrated wall system

The concrete house walls were designed to function as a
hybrida blend of passive and activea high-thermalmass, radiant heating and cooling system. Passive highthermal-mass systems include interior masonry and
concrete partitions and exterior masonry and concrete walls
with the insulation located on the exterior surface. These

systems moderate diurnal temperature variations around

the thermostat set point temperature for the space they
enclose. Active high-thermal-mass systems include air
loop rock storage bins and water loop heat storage tanks.
These systems act as heat sources for on-demand heating
and heat sinks for cooling.
The hybrid system developed provides both moderation of
diurnal temperature variations and predictive on-demand
heating or cooling. This is accomplished through the use
of a continuously insulated architectural precast concrete
sandwich panel with a 6 in. (150 mm) thick interior wythe
containing a modified capillary tube hydronic system. The
wythe functions as a passive, high-thermal-mass system to
moderate diurnal temperature variations. The capillary tube
hydronic system is modified from its typical application,
which locates the tubes near the surface facing the conditioned space for on-demand heating or cooling. By locating
the tubes away from the surface enclosing the conditioned
space, thermal lag can be used to charge the wall for anticipated heating and cooling demands. This storage feature
allows a more-gradual accumulation of heat via solar collectors or dispersal of heat via rooftop cooling ponds.
Figure 2 depicts some of the important subsystems. The
network of cross-linked high-density polyethylene tubes
carries hot water for curing the panel. The polyethylene
tubing was added to the wall design as a workaround when
trials using a low-temperature hot-air curing chamber
yielded unsatisfactory results. The capillary tube system
could not be used to cure the interior wythe because the
type that was already on-site was made from polypropylene random copolymer with a maximum operating
temperature below the needed water temperature for curing. For future panels, a polypropylene random copolymer
capillary tube system with a higher allowable operating
temperature should be used for curing. During building
operation, the capillary tubes, not the polyethylene tubes,
will constitute the radiator section of the hydronic heating
and cooling system.

Production
Mixture proportioning development
The concrete mixture was developed prior to forwarding the architectural design to the structural engineer. At
present, there is not a standard methodology for geopolymer cement concrete mixture proportioning. Each fly ash
has its own reactivity that must be evaluated to ensure
the performance of the resulting concrete mixture. The
provisions of ASTM C61821 for Class F fly ash give a
good indication of potential reactivity and are frequently
used to screen potential ash sources. Because the intended
concrete mixture did not have a long track record of performance, 15 individual batches were produced (Table1).
In the early stages of mixture design development, several

PCI Journal | N o ve m b e r D e c e m b e r 2015

41

4 in.

6 in.

6 in.
in. polypropylene
capillary tube mat
in. cross-linked
polyethylene tubing
6 in. on center

Form
face

WWF mat 4x4-W6xW6

in. shear connector
embedment (carbon fiber)

No. 6 x continuous

in. cross-linked polethylene

tubing 6 in. on center

in. shear connector

embedment (carbon
fiber)

6 in. beadboard
insulation

in. diameter x
4 in. PVC

WWF mat 6x6-W5xW5

Interior reveal
No. 4 x continuous

Exterior reveal

in. diameter x
4 in. PVC
Reinforcing bar
splice sleeve with
no. 5 bar
1 ft.
No. 4 x continuous

1 ft. in.

3 in.

Figure 2. Typical cross section of the precast concrete structural insulated panel. Note: PVC = polyvinyl chloride; WWF = welded-wire fabric, which is also known as
welded-wire reinforcement. No. 4 = 13M; no. 6 = 19M; 1 in. = 25.4 mm; 1 ft = 0.305 m.,

aggregate sources were attempted to preview the effect

they would have on concrete color and final appearance
after sandblasting. A 38 in. (10 mm) granite aggregate was
selected for the project, and the batches are listed in Table
1. Although the batches had identical mixture proportions,
many replicates were produced to assess repeatability as
well as to provide materials for the design team to explore
finishes and colors. Three 3 6 in. (75 150 mm) cylinders were prepared from each batch. The cylinders were
subjected to the same curing routine that was planned for

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Nov e mb e r De c e mb e r 2 0 1 5 | PCI Journal

the full-scale precast concrete panels, which consisted of

24 hours of aging at ambient temperatures and 48 hours of
curing at 167F (75C). ASTM C3922 procedures were used
to test the cylinders in triplicate after 3 days, immediately
following removal from the high-temperature curing chamber. Table2 presents average compressive strength results
of the 15 consecutive batches. Variations in the strength
are results of small differences in batching procedures,
aggregate moisture content, and other factors that would be
difficult to closely control in plant settings.

Table 1. Geopolymer cement concrete mixture proportions

Material

Sodium
silicate

Sodium
hydroxide

Class F fly ash

Fine
aggregate

Course
aggregate

Water

Total

277

36

787

1370

1370

75

3915

Weight, lb/yd3

Note: 1 lb/yd = 0.593 kg/m .

3

ACI 318-11 provides a process for setting the design

strength of concrete mixtures based on compressive
strength test results of portland cement concretes.23
Although further research may justify adapting this
method for use with geopolymer materials, it was
used as described in this application. The intent of the
procedure is to ensure that the probability of obtaining
compressive strength results below the design target is
less than 1%. The mean strength and standard deviation of the data presented in Table 2 are 5250 and 355
psi (36.2 and 2.45MPa), respectively. ACI 318-11
Table 5.3.1.2 provides a modification factor of 1.16 for
the standard deviation of data sets based on 15 tests.23
Due to the requirements outlined in ACI31811 Table
5.3.2.1, a safe design strength of 4800psi (33MPa) for
the geopolymer cement concrete mixture was developed
for the project.23
Table 2. Geopolymer cement concrete compressive strength based
on the average of three 3 6 in. cylinders tested with ASTM C39
procedures
Test number

Compressive strength, psi

5930

5210

5210

5110

4810

5150

5150

5570

5720

10

5130

11

5650

12

5410

13

4890

14

4610

15

5270

Note: 1 in. = 25.4 mm; 1 psi = 6.895 kPa.

Production process
Due to the conditions (such as elevated-temperature curing) that are necessary for formation of geopolymers,
accommodations must be made in production. The predominant considerations discovered while producing the
concrete panels included heating methods suitable for large
concrete castings and finishing techniques that work for
geopolymer cement concrete. These and other considerations are described in the following sections.
Requirement for heating
Geopolymer cement concrete requires heat to gain strength.
Within a precasting facility, heat is sometimes used to
accelerate curing in portland cement concrete. However,
because portland cement hydration is exothermic and does
not require much heat, the output of these systems may be
insufficient to reach target temperatures for curing geopolymer cement concrete. Geopolymer concrete cement is
often cured within the range of 140 to170F (60to 77C).
Insulating the formwork and top face of the concrete slab
and using the hydronic tubes embedded in the wall panels
to circulate heated water enabled the concrete to reach the
desired temperatures. Most heated formwork is made of
steel, which reacts with the fresh geopolymer unless the
release agent is able to isolate the two materials.
The hydronic tubes consisted of 12in. (13mm) inside
diameter polyethylene attached to a mat of welded-wire
reinforcement (Fig. 3). The mat was selected so that the
spacing of the tubes could be maintained at 6 in. (150mm)
on center for even distribution of heat throughout the
concrete. A tank boiler with an electronic thermostat and
pump system heated water passed through tubes (Fig. 4).
A network of temperature sensors was embedded in the
concrete to monitor temperatures during curing. The sensors were distributed at locations that represented several
depths, proximity to edges, and proximity to heating
tubes. Figure 5 presents the logged results of several of
these sensors. The curing requirements determined during
mixture proportioning indicated that 24 hours at the target
temperature was sufficient to develop the design strength.
The 12 kW boiler heated the panels containing 11.8yd3
(9.03m3) of geopolymer cement concrete from 76 to 170F
(24 to 77C) in approximately 35 hours. The boiler maintained the target temperature for a total of 35 hours before
the system was shut down and the concrete began cooling.

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43

Figure 3. Red cross-linked high-density polyethylene tubes and blue capillary

tubes for concrete curing and building climate control are tied to reinforcing
steel before placing concrete.

Figure 5. Temperature of panels during the heated curing process. Note: oC =

(oF 32)/1.8.

The extra time beyond 24 hours was added as a precaution to ensure that all areas reached the target temperature.
Because the sensors continue to function after curing, they
have been incorporated into the building monitoring and
control system.

available colorants worked well. These colorants included

earth oxides for yellows and reds and titanium dioxide for
light gray. Light gray was selected, and it was used at a variety of doses without affecting the properties of the fresh
or cured geopolymer cement concrete.

Consistency of color

Source materials

The ability to accurately reproduce colors is exceedingly

important in architectural precast concrete. While gray
cement varies in its tint, the availability of white cements
allows precast concrete producers to use colorants to
consistently match colors between batches. The color of
geopolymer cement concrete is a function of the color of
the fly ash, which can vary from dark gray to light pink,
depending on the source. It is not unusual for fly ash from
the same source to vary because its composition is affected
by the combustion parameters at the power plant where it
is produced.

Changing emissions-control devices and coal markets

affect the availability of fly ash. Class F fly ashes are
typically suitable for geopolymer cement concrete. However, some variation in fly ash characteristics that do not
significantly affect its use in portland cement concrete
can have detrimental effects in geopolymer cement
concrete. Factors such as the age, amorphous fraction,
elemental composition, particle size, and carbon content
of the fly ash all have significant effects on the characteristics of geopolymer cement concrete.24 Although the
relationships between these fly ash characteristics and
the mechanical performance of the cured geopolymer cement concrete are generally understood, there is not yet a
process of rapidly adapting activating solutions or curing
regimens to differences in the fly ash. The process of adjusting geopolymer cement concrete mixture proportions
for new source materials is much the same as developing mixture proportions for portland cement concrete.
Prior to casting the large panels, the team identified a
source of Class F fly ash near the project site. Mixture
proportions were tested and adjusted specifically for this
source.

A scientific method for adjusting color and repeating tints

from batch to batch was not developed, but commercially

Formwork and concreting

equipment

Figure 4. Heating equipment for curing includes two boiler units connected
to a circulator pump and manifold for equalizing flow rates through multiple
concrete volumes.
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Nov e mb e r De c e mb e r 2 0 1 5 | PCI Journal

A strong priority during this experimental program was to

minimize the need for specialized equipment. The mechanical performance of most existing concreting equipment is
adequate for geopolymer cement concrete. However, the
following peculiarities were noted.

Interaction with portland cement

concrete
One potential challenge for production of geopolymer
cement concrete in a plant that also produces portland cement concrete is that the materials cannot tolerate intermixing. Calcium-rich portland cement concrete causes
rapid setting and potential unsoundness in geopolymer
cement concrete. Therefore, mixers must be cleaned more
thoroughly before switching between geopolymer cement
concrete and portland cement concrete than would be necessary between batches of portland cement concrete.
Placement and consolidation

Figure 6. Batching activating solutions into the concrete mixing truck.

Mixers
The geopolymer cement concrete was mixed in a 10yd3
(8m3) rotary drum truck. The aggregate, fly ash, and water
were measured and added to the truck at a batch plant
(Fig. 6). Immediately before mixing, activator solution was
added directly to the truck through the charge hopper. Trial
and error had shown that 150 revolutions of the drum at
high speed were sufficient to mix a truckful.
Formwork and finish
The team experimented with many form-making materials
that would be durable through several uses and nonreactive
with the geopolymer while providing a suitable surface texture for the panels. Steel formwork was used initially but
required thick form-release agents to prevent interaction
with the geopolymer cement concrete. Lighter form oils saponified on contact with the alkalis in the geopolymer cement concrete. Because iron can provide nucleation points
for the formation of the geopolymer, excessive bonding
between the geopolymer cement concrete and the formwork occurred during curing. Large spalls often resulted
when the forms were stripped. Polyethylene formliners
worked well, were durable, and imparted a smooth finish
to the geopolymer cement concrete. To produce the surface
pattern selected, plywood painted with a thick wood sealer
was used. This coating was resistant to the alkalinity in the
geopolymer cement concrete.
Although the concrete cast against the formwork picks up
fine detail and reflects the smoothness of the surface, the
float-finished side does not maintain an acceptable finish.
At the plant, these sides were finished with a bull float.
However, after construction, they were finished with a
vinyl-based joint compound specifically manufactured for
skim coating concrete.

After mixing, the concrete was transferred to a bucket

and dropped into the formwork (Fig. 7). The consistency
of geopolymer cement concrete is difficult to describe in
terms of slump or spread. Although it is essentially selfconsolidating, it is also thixotropic and can be stiff and
gummy when being coaxed to flow quickly. However, in
time it continues to flow by gravity until it forms a level
surface. Geopolymer cement concrete responds well to
vibration and immediately flows into corners and around
obstructions. The table-mounted vibrators at the plant were
ideal for consolidating the concrete.
Moisture control
Prior research has indicated that the water-cement ratio
has the same effect on the strength of geopolymer cement
concrete as portland cement concrete.20 A high-range
water-reducing admixture was used to reduce the amount
of water required to achieve the necessary workability.
However, unlike portland cement concrete, which requires
a relatively large amount of water to hydrate the cement,
geopolymer cement concrete has a fairly small chemical
demand for water. The mixture required only 75 lb/yd3
(44 kg/m3) of water (Table 1). The excess moisture in the
aggregates may suffice or could even be too much for the
geopolymer cement concrete. Because the sodium silicate
activator is in liquid form, it adds to the workability of the
concrete in a similar fashion as would more water.

Results
The precast geopolymer cement concrete structure was
completed in approximately two weeks and was assembled
into three pods that were shipped from North Carolina to
the competition site in California.
Compressive strength of panels
As was found with the trial batches prepared before casting the panels, the compressive strength results varied
significantly from batch to batch. The full set of panels
was prepared from five batches of truck-mixed concrete.

PCI Journal | N o ve m b e r D e c e m b e r 2015

45

Decathlon entry and are reported in Table 3. The cost of

geopolymer cement concrete is more than three times that
of an equivalent strength of portland cement concrete. The
bulk of the volume in either concrete mixture is occupied
by aggregates, and costs associated with the aggregate
fraction of the concrete are substantially similar. The
cementitious portion of the volume for geopolymer cement concrete is composed of fly ash, sodium silicate, and
sodium hydroxide. Although fly ash itself is often inexpensive, the addition of the activating chemicals makes the
geopolymer cement materials significantly more expensive
than portland cement. Thus, the cost of geopolymer cement concrete was $160.83/yd3 ($210.36/m3) compared
with $50.88/yd3 ($66.55/m3) for portland cement concrete.
Figure 7. Placing concrete in forms.

The 28-day compressive strength of these batches based on

the average of three 4 8 in. (100 200 mm) cylinders
was 8650, 6480, 4410, 4920, and 5960 psi (59.6, 44.7,
30.4, 33.9, and 41.1 MPa). Thus, the average compressive strength was 6080 psi (41.9 MPa), which is higher
than the trial batches, but the standard deviation was also
greater. For the laboratory batches, the standard deviation of 15 trials was 355 psi (2.45 MPa), whereas the five
production batches yielded a standard deviation of 1650psi
(11.4MPa). The greater variability in production may have
been related to the addition of water at the plant or to the
time between mixing and placing some of the batches.
Only one batch fell below the design strength of 4800psi
(33.1MPa) but was deemed to be adequate by the structural engineer of record.
Material costs
The costs related to materials in geopolymer cement
concrete were tracked during the production of the Solar

Additional costs for heat curing are also associated with

geopolymer cement concrete. The difference in costs
among the various fuels that are used to power hot-water
boilers or steam generators are large, so this cost is not
reported. However, the energy requirement to heat the
11.8 yd3 (9.02 m3) of material from room temperature
to curing temperature was found to be approximately
420kWh. The national average cost at the time of casting
was $0.067/kWh.25 At typical industrial electricity rates,
the cost was $2.49/yd3 ($3.26/m3).
The high cost of geopolymer cement concrete at present
should not be taken as a deterrent to further investigation.
One reliable aspect of all commercialization processes is
the aggressive search for cost-reducing opportunities. The
materials used in this prototype were of a higher grade
than would be necessary for construction. For instance, due
to local availability, the purity of the sodium silicate and
sodium hydroxide was sufficient for much more exacting
processes, such as use with foods, detergents, or other consumables. Both materials can be synthesized or extracted
from waste-stream materials in a form that is adequate for
construction.

Table 3. Cost of constituent materials in geopolymer cement concrete and portland cement concrete
Material

Cost per 100 lb

Geopolymer cement
concrete, lb

Portland cement
concrete, lb

Cost for 1 yd3 precast

portland cement
concrete

Sodium silicate

$42.00

277

$116.34

$0

Sodium hydroxide

$64.00

36

$23.04

$0

Fly ash

$1.13

787

$8.92

$0

Fine aggregate

$0.42

1370

$5.79

1250

$5.28

Coarse aggregate

$0.49

1370

$6.73

1800

$8.84

Water

$0.02

75

$0.02

260

$0.06

Portland cement

$5.64

$0

650

$36.69

n/a

3915

$160.83

3960

$50.88

Total

Note: n/a = not applicable. 1 lb = 0.454 kg; 1 yd3 = 0.765 m3.

46

Cost for 1 yd3

geopolymer cement
concrete

Nov e mb e r De c e mb e r 2 0 1 5 | PCI Journal

Competition performance
The 20 teams that competed in the 2013 U.S. Department
of Energys Solar Decathlon were evaluated in a series
of five juried (architecture, market appeal, engineering,
communications, and affordability) and five measured
(comfort, appliances, home life, commuting, and energy
balance) criteria. The concrete house described in this
paper finished thirteenth overall. The precast concrete wall
system contributed to a tie for third place in engineering.
The concrete house also received first place in the Peoples
Choice award, which is based on the publics votes for its
favorite entry.

Areas of additional required

research
Although this was a successful experience with prototyping
a novel construction method, the difficulties encountered
indicate several areas of required research that can help
inform a potential guideline and best practice for geopolymer cement concrete.
Sensitivity analysis
During production, many factors affect the characteristics of the concrete. These factors may include working
temperature, the addition of water for workability, and the
actual temperature achieved during curing. The variability
in the compressive strength results of concrete produced
at the plant was much greater than in the laboratory. This
would also be expected of portland cement concrete.
However, the variability in the production-scale mixtures
would not be acceptable for normal production. The most
critical sensitivity analyses would seem to relate to watercement ratio, curing temperature, and curing time because
these variables are the most likely to be altered during
production. The effects of changes in these conditions on
the strength and durability of geopolymer cement concrete
must be established. Conservatism was used when making decisions about matters that might affect the quality of
the concrete. In normal production, a set of construction
tolerances is necessary to inform quality-control managers of the suitable ranges of batching, mixing, and curing
conditions that result in acceptable quality.
Workability enhancers
Neither slump nor spread appears to be a good measure of
geopolymer cement concrete consistency. Although geopolymer cement concrete is similar to self-consolidating
concrete in some ways, it is significantly more viscous
than portland cement concrete. This characteristic led to
frustration on the part of finishers, who were not able to
use their normal tools to achieve typical results. A greater
understanding of the ways that high-range water-reducing
admixtures and water-reducing admixtures affect the work-

ability of geopolymer cement concrete could improve its

finishability.
Finishing and patching
Because of the curing requirements for geopolymers, it
is not easy to make small batches of material for filling
bugholes, pop-outs, and other common aesthetic defects.
A range of suitable materials that are compatible with geopolymer cement concrete, durable, color matchable, and
self-curing must be established.
Applicability of existing
quality-control measures
Existing quality-control measures for portland cement
concrete provide a good starting point. However, there
is not a body of evidence that indicates the suitability of
tests, such as air content by ASTM C231,26 for geopolymer
cement concrete. Furthermore, due to the effect of curing
temperature on the ultimate strength and quality of the
concrete, a handling and heating strategy for small test
cylinders that mimics the thermal condition of concrete
elements is necessary. As part of the preparation for this
project, cores were removed from a slab and compared for
strength with that of companion cylinders cast at the same
time. The cores from the slab were found to have significantly higher compressive strength in all casespossibly
due to the much longer cool-down period. Nonetheless, an
accurate method is required for using companion cylinders
to estimate compressive strength of the component.

Conclusion
This case study describes the first example of total architectural precast geopolymer cement concrete construction
of a habitable building. The building succeeded in the
areas of energy performance, architecture, innovation, and
public opinion. A significant outcome of this experience
was the ability to identify areas of future research and
development that will be necessary to enable more mainstream applications of geopolymers in construction.
The factory environment of precasting facilities is
uniquely suited for the production of geopolymers due
to the availability of heating devices for curing and tight
process control. Geopolymers could provide a niche for
precasters to offer concrete with significantly reduced
CO2 emissions. The broad similarity in characteristics of
geopolymer cement concrete and portland cement concrete
for mixing, placing, component design, appearance, and
long-term performance suggests that the gradual adoption
of the material would seem more familiar than disruptive.
Currently, the significant impediment to expanding use
of geopolymer binders in concrete is the availability of a
uniform fly ash source material as well as specifications
similar to ASTM C61821 that can be used to characterize

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47

ash specifically for geopolymers. Recent guidance from the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has encouraged the
beneficial reuse of coal ash.27,28 This guidance, combined
with the availability of improved reprocessing technologies
and the desire for more-sustainable products, will likely
stimulate fly ash suppliers to provide the necessary materials for geopolymers.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the PCI Foundation, Georgia/Carolinas PCI, Metromont Corp., Duke Energy, and the
U.S. Department of Energy for their generous support of
this project.

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About the authors

Brett Tempest, PhD, is an assistant professor for the Department
of Civil and Environmental
Engineering at the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte.

Clarke Snell, MArch, is a visiting

professor for the Stevens Institute
of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

Thomas Gentry, MArch, AIA,

LEED AP, CDT, is an associate
professor for the School of
Architecture at the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte.

Abstract
Geopolymer cement is an alternative binder that is
capable of forming concrete with competent mechanical performance and attractive environmental
benefits. Carbon dioxide emissions from geopolymer
cement concrete are low compared with portland
cement concrete, and the binder incorporates high
volumes of the recycled material fly ash. The typical
strength of the resulting materials ranges from 4000
to 10,000 psi (28 to 69 MPa) depending on mixture
proportions, aggregates, and curing. Additional
beneficial features to precast concrete production
include rapid strength gain and low requirements
for plant infrastructure beyond typical concreting equipment. This paper presents a case study of
the manufacture of full-scale geopolymer cement
concrete components. Mechanical characteristics of
geopolymer cement concrete produced at the plant,
quality of form finishes, and strategies for curing are
described. Challenges to full-scale production, as
identified by plant personnel and the research team,
are also presented.

Keywords

50

Maria Trejo is a graduate student

in the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering at the
University of North Carolina at
Charlotte. She also has a PCI
Daniel P. Jenny Fellowship.

Alternative binder, geopolymer, insulated panel,

sustainability.

Keith Isherwood, MSCE, is a

graduate of the Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte.

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