Mechanical and durability performance of metakaolin and fly ash-based geopolymers compared to cement systems
Abstract
The environmental impact of Ordinary Portland Cement production, particularly its significant contribution to global CO 2 emissions, has prompted the search for sustainable alternatives. This study investigates the durability and mechanical performance of metakaolin and fly ash-based geopolymer formulations compared to cementbased systems (CEM I and CEM III) under aggressive environmental conditions, without the use of heat curing. Among the six binder types tested, metakaolin-based MK II achieved a compressive strength of 33 MPa at 90 days-comparable to CEM III (35.2 MPa)-and the lowest water absorption (3.4 %). MK II also exhibited the highest durability, with superior resistance to carbonation, sulfate, and acid attacks, as well as minimal ultrasonic pulse velocity loss in the boiling test. Cement-based samples, particularly CEM I, displayed the best freezethaw resistance and lowest porosity increase after 150 cycles. Fire resistance testing classified MK I, MK II, and CEM III as A1-rated non-combustible materials. These results highlight the potential of metakaolin geopolymers-especially MK II-as sustainable, durable alternatives to cement, capable of performing in aggressive environments without additional energy input.
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BibTeX
@article{inaty2026mechanical,
title = {{Mechanical and durability performance of metakaolin and fly ash-based geopolymers compared to cement systems}},
author = {François El Inaty and Hussein Nasreddine and Assia Djerbi and Laurent Gautron and Mario Marchetti and Marc Quiertant and Othman Omikrine Metalssi},
journal = {Results in engineering},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.rineng.2025.105788},
url = {https://univ-eiffel.hal.science/hal-05758836v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mechanical and durability performance of metakaolin and fly ash-based geopolymers compared to cement systems
AU - François El Inaty
AU - Hussein Nasreddine
AU - Assia Djerbi
AU - Laurent Gautron
AU - Mario Marchetti
AU - Marc Quiertant
AU - Othman Omikrine Metalssi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
JO - Results in engineering
DO - 10.1016/j.rineng.2025.105788
UR - https://univ-eiffel.hal.science/hal-05758836v1
AB - The environmental impact of Ordinary Portland Cement production, particularly its significant contribution to global CO 2 emissions, has prompted the search for sustainable alternatives. This study investigates the durability and mechanical performance of metakaolin and fly ash-based geopolymer formulations compared to cementbased systems (CEM I and CEM III) under aggressive environmental conditions, without the use of heat curing. Among the six binder types tested, metakaolin-based MK II achieved a compressive strength of 33 MPa at 90 days-comparable to CEM III (35.2 MPa)-and the lowest water absorption (3.4 %). MK II also exhibited the highest durability, with superior resistance to carbonation, sulfate, and acid attacks, as well as minimal ultrasonic pulse velocity loss in the boiling test. Cement-based samples, particularly CEM I, displayed the best freezethaw resistance and lowest porosity increase after 150 cycles. Fire resistance testing classified MK I, MK II, and CEM III as A1-rated non-combustible materials. These results highlight the potential of metakaolin geopolymers-especially MK II-as sustainable, durable alternatives to cement, capable of performing in aggressive environments without additional energy input.
SN - 2590-1230
ER -