Recycling of Waste Corundum Abrasive Powder in MK-Based Geopolymers

Recycling corundum abrasive powder in metakaolin-based geopolymer formulations is proposed to reduce the amount of waste to be treated or disposed of in landfills, allowing to decrease ecological damage as well as to reduce transport costs for removal. The addition of waste corundum, as an important source of Al₂O₃, has proved to increase the slight ionic conductivity of the leachate solution obtained after immersion in water of samples at 28 d of curing at room temperature. With the same curing conditions, the geopolymerization process has not been disturbed as evidenced by the FT-IR peak shift and XRD patterns. It was recorded a decrease in resistance to compression of the consolidated geopolymers of about 5% with 10 wt% addition and of about 77% with the addition of 20 wt% of waste corundum. In any case, the waste abrasive powder does not release heavy metals when added to a geopolymeric formulation based on MK, NaOH, and Na-silicate, and does not show relevant antibacterial properties, indicating the formation of a stable and safe final product with a ceramic-like appearance.