High Speed Mixing Process for Producing Inorganic Polymer Products
Methods of producing inorganic polymer products are described herein. The methods include mixing reactants comprising a reactive powder, an activator, and optionally a retardant for a mixing time of 15 seconds or less to provide a reaction mixture and forming the reaction mixture into a product. Also described herein are building materials formed according to the methods.
1 . A method of producing an inorganic polymer product, comprising:
mixing water and reactants comprising a reactive powder, an activator, and optionally a retardant for a mixing time of 15 seconds or less to provide a reaction mixture, wherein the reactive powder comprises fly ash; and
forming the reaction mixture into a product.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction mixture after said mixing step is substantially homogenous.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixing time is from 2 seconds to 10 seconds.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixing is performed at ambient temperature.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising allowing the product to set.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the setting time for the allowing step is less than 5 minutes.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the setting time is less than 4 minutes.
8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the setting time is less than 3 minutes.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming step comprises molding the reaction mixture into the product.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the molding step comprises wet casting of the product.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactive powder further comprises portland cement, slag, calcium aluminate cement, or a mixture of these.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactive powder includes greater than 85% by weight of fly ash.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactive powder includes greater than 95% by weight of fly ash.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein greater than 75% of the fly ash comprises Class C fly ash.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein greater than 95% of the fly ash comprises Class C fly ash.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactive powder includes 5% by weight or less of portland cement.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactive powder includes 5% by weight or less of calcium aluminate cement.
18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the activator includes citric acid and sodium hydroxide.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the citric acid and sodium hydroxide are combined prior to mixing with the reactants.
20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the weight ratio of citric acid to sodium hydroxide is from 0.4:1 to 2.0:1.
21 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the weight ratio of citric acid to sodium hydroxide is from 1.0:1 to 1.6:1.
22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the retardant includes borax, boric acid, gypsum, phosphates, gluconates, or a mixture of these.
23 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactants are provided at a water to binder ratio of less than 0.15:1.
24 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding aggregate to the reactants.
25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the aggregate includes lightweight aggregate.
26 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactants are substantially free of retardants.
27 . A product formed according to the method of claim 1 .
28 . The product of claim 27 , wherein the product is a building material.
29 . The product of claim 27 , wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of a roofing tile, a ceramic tile, a synthetic stone, a thin brick, a brick, a paver, a panel, or an underlay.