Webinar on Artificial Geopolymer Aggregates – A One-Stone Two-Birds Solution for Sustainable Construction (Jointly organized by HKIE CVD and PolyU)

Date, time & venue

17^th August 2022 (Wednesday), 17:00-18:00, Seminar via Zoom Meeting

Organized by

HKIE Civil Division and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Programme Highlight

Concrete is the most widely used construction material due to its cost-effectiveness and wide availability of raw materials. Aggregates, as a structural filler, in addition to water and cement, occupy most of the concrete volume. However, due to the unprecedented scale of modern construction activities, the availability of aggregates, which are usually made from natural stones/crushed rock and river/washed sea sand, is now a critical issue due to the depletion of natural resources. The large-scale excavation has also severely imposed a threat to the natural environment. On the other hand, with the rapid economic expansion and urbanization, Hong Kong and mainland China are facing a significant increase of the industrial waste ash/slag, arisen from steel, electricity, coal, and other industry sectors, as well as the incinerator ash, discharged from municipal solid waste incineration facilities. Landfills are the last resort for the disposal of these solid wastes. However, landfills require notable land and space, which are one of the most precious assets of big cities.

This seminar is concerned with a geopolymer-based approach by which waste ash/slag-based artificial aggregates are manufactured for concrete production as a ‘one stone two birds’ solution to the above-mentioned dilemma. Geopolymer is a Si/Al inorganic polymer that can be formed through the chemical activation of alumina-silicate precursor materials, and thus, necessary engineering strength can be achieved if an appropriate mix design is made. Besides, it has been demonstrated that geopolymer has an excellent capacity for heavy metal removal. It is worth noting that typical waste ash/slag are usually composed of rich aluminum and silicate phases. This seminar shares the recent research activities regarding the development of low-carbon and sustainable artificial geopolymer aggregates and their applications in the speaker’s group. 

   *Please complete the on-line registration at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XKWAhlUaRR22j3Tr4CYuJw

Language

English

Fee

Free of Charge.

Speakers

Prof. DAI Jian-Guo

Prof. DAI Jian-Guo graduated with his PhD degree in social infrastructure engineering from Hokkaido University, Japan. His research theme is “Emerging materials and structural systems for sustainable concrete infrastructures”. He has received many awards for his research work, including the “Best Basic Research Paper Award” from American Society of Civil Engineers, Journal of Composites for Construction, “Distinguished Young Scholar of FRP Application Committee of Chinese Society of Civil Engineers”, “International Outstanding Collaboration Award” from Japan Society of Civil Engineers, and “Structural Excellence Award-Grand Award” from Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. In 2020, Prof Dai’s research on eco-friendly concrete coating was highlighted by “Science” in its “Editor’s Choice” and reported by public media like “Ta Kung Pao” and “Hong Kong Economic Journal”. Prof Dai was also in the “World’s Top 2% Scientist-Stanford University Releases List (2020 and 2021)” in “Civil Engineering” and “Materials Science and Engineering” disciplines. Prof. Dai has published more than 300 technical papers (including some 170 SCI journal papers and with more than 5500 citations and h-index = 42 at Web-of-Science) in the above-mentioned research area.

Registration & Enquiries

Please complete the on-line registration at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XKWAhlUaRR22j3Tr4CYuJw. The number of participants is limited to 500 on a first-come-first served basis. Priority will be given to members of the Civil Division.

Email registration will not be accepted. Successful applicants will be informed by email and provided a link to the Zoom Meeting at the designated time slot. Participants need to sign in using the membership no. and name entered at the time of registration. A CPD certificate will be issued 3 weeks after the seminar based on this membership no. and registration name.

For enquiries, please contact Mr. Vincent Tam via email: vincent@wingsconsulting.com.hk.