The Effect of Sugar Based Retarder on Geopolymer Concrete in Different Curing Conditions

Geopolymer is an alternative binder to Portland cement which can contribute to the reduction of air pollution from OPC production. However the current limitation of geopolymer concrete is only applicable to precast concrete industry therefore this research was conducted for cast in situ application. Commercial admixture commonly applied in geopolymer concrete researches was replaced with sugar based retarder to delay the setting time of fresh geopolymer concrete. Different curing methods, namely ambient, external exposure, and oven suring were adopted. Compressive strength results showed that the inclusion of sugar based retarder could improve the concrete performance, whilst external exposure curing provided the most optimum condition for geopolymer concrete strength