Geopolymer production for conservation-restoration using Sicilian raw materials: Feasibility studies

In the last decades, particular attention has been aimed to innovative materials class with high-tech features to apply in conservation-restoration of Cultural Heritage, ensuring both aesthetic compatibility and adequate properties with regards to the original rock substrate. AGM for CuHe project aims to valorise Sicilian raw materials, natural and industrial by-products, for the development of alkali-activated materials, as geopolymers. These materials are produced by the activation of an aluminosilicate precursors in alkaline environment. Volcanic raw materials (volcanic ash, volcanic paleo-soils and pumice) and ceramic industrial waste were mixed with an alkaline solution and cured at room temperature. In some cases, small quantities of metakaolin were added to the mixture to increase the reactivity of the precursors. In order to obtain the geopolymeric reaction, the precursors need to be fully characterized. A similar approach is also applied to the synthesized geopolymers in order to understand its behaviour in relation to the original building materials. Therefore, a multi-analytical approach is proposed: chemical and mineralogical studies (XRF and XRD), combined with spectroscopic (FT-IR) and morphological (SEM and μCT) analyses. These preliminary results confirm the feasibility of this eco-friendly class of materials using the proposed local raw materials.