The selection of alkali activators is crucial in determining the characteristics of alkali-activated materials (AAMs). The activators are typically derived from commercial sources and significantly affect the ecological impact of AAMs across different life cycle categories. Hence, this study investigated the utilization of hazelnut shell ash (HNA) as an alternative activator in the synthesis of AAMs for the first time. HNA is evaluated as a green waste-derived option in place of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) in blast furnace slag (BFS) activation. A comparative investigation was conducted on the fresh, mechanical, and microstructural properties of AAMs activated with HNA, NaOH, or KOH. The experimental results showed that the compressive strength of HNA-activated AAM specimens can reach up to 26.8 MPa at 28th days, equivalent to mixtures activated with 2.0 M NaOH and 2.2 M KOH. It was observed that HNA alleviates the early-stage reactions by providing sufficient alkalinity due to its KO content, contributes to gel formation with its calcium and silicon rich chemical composition, and also improves the compressive strength by acting as micro-aggregate.

中文翻译：

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榛子壳灰作为碱性活化剂的创新用途：与商业活化剂的比较分析


碱活化剂的选择对于确定碱活化材料（AAM）的特性至关重要。活化剂通常来自商业来源，并显着影响 AAM 在不同生命周期类别的生态影响。因此，本研究首次研究了利用榛子壳灰 (HNA) 作为 AAM 合成中的替代活化剂。海航被评估为在高炉矿渣 (BFS) 活化中替代氢氧化钠 (NaOH) 和氢氧化钾 (KOH) 的绿色废物衍生选择。对用 HNA、NaOH 或 KOH 激活的 AAM 的新鲜特性、机械特性和微观结构特性进行了比较研究。实验结果表明，HNA 活化的 AAM 样品在第 28 天时的抗压强度可达 26.8 MPa，相当于用 2.0 M NaOH 和 2.2 M KOH 活化的混合物。据观察，HNA 因其 KO 含量而提供足够的碱度，从而缓解了早期反应，其富含钙和硅的化学成分有助于凝胶形成，并且还通过充当微聚集体来提高抗压强度。