ALKALI-ACTIVATED FLY ASH BASED GEOPOLYMER PAVING BLOCKS: GREEN MATERIALS FOR FUTURE CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES

Both Circular Economy and Sustainable Development are concepts that focus on resource efficiency. This involves a complex waste management process with a high degree of recycling and recovery. Rapid population growth and urbanization in developing countries have led to large amounts of solid waste and, consequently, increased environmental degradation of the environment. Designing resilient, sustainable materials and buildings by using recycled materials or industrial by-products, which can replace some or all of the cement, leads to the development of a sustainable, low-carbon economy and furthermore to the conservation of natural resources. Industry is developing at an accelerated pace, consequently the development of modern construction materials in the economic world is more than necessary. The aim of this research is to present preliminary results regarding the design of the alkali-activated fly ash-based geopolymer paving blocks produced using Romanian local raw materials, to present several parameters that affect their mechanical properties and to assess their intended use in terms of legislation.