DEVELOPMENT OF SODIUM SILICATE FREE BASED GEOPOLYMERS FOR UREA DIFFUSION STUDIES

Geopolymers are inorganic polymers produced by alkali activation of materials
rich in silica (Si) and alumina (Al). Limited studies has been done in synthesizing
geopolymers without the use of sodium silicate solution. The objective of this work is
to synthesise and evaluate the properties of geopolymers without using sodium silicate
solution by varying Si/Al ratio using rice husk ash (RHA), sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
concentration and solid/liquid ratio. The properties of geopoylmers studiedwere setting
time, compressive strength, bulk porosity anddensity at different curing conditions for
potential applications asa material forcoating urea. Further analysis of the geopolymers
was also done using FESEM, XRD and FTIR. Geopolymer layers were prepared from
selected samples for diffusion study using a diffusion cell to determine the diffusion
coefficient.