Fabrication and characterization of thermally-insulating coconut ash-based geopolymer foam

This study aims at synthesizing porous coconut ash (CA)-based geopolymer foam with high thermal insulation property. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), alumina slag (AS) and water contents as the main parameters, which affect the performance hardened CA, have been studied. The porosity was developed by hydrogen gas resulted from the interaction of Al metal, in AS, with NaOH. The compressive strength, bulk density, porosity and thermal conductivity were evaluated. The results proved that the AS has a potential impact on the reduction of thermal conductivity of CA-based geopolymer foam by creation of high porous system. Open celled hardened CA-based geopolymer with high porosity (∼87%), low thermal conductivity (∼0.045 W/m·K), compressive strength (1.3 MPa) and bulk density (∼0.60 g/cm3) was obtained when 7% AS (by weight of CA powder) and water to CA powder ratio of 0.4 were used.