Effect of different curing temperatures on alkali activated palm oil fuel ash paste

This study investigated effects of curing temperature on alkali activation of palm oil fuel ash. Compression test was conducted on samples activated with a mixture of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide at different curing temperatures; ambient, 60 °C, 70 °C, and 80 °C. Also, XRD, TGA, FTIR, and SEM/EDX tests were performed to trace changes due to geopolymerization. Results showed that the ambient temperature can be applied to activate mixes with 100% POFA. Compressive strength of up to 36.8 MPa was obtained when samples cured at ambient temperature. The threshold temperature for activation of POFA was 70 °C.