Aerated inorganic polymer compositions and methods of making same

• US 8,795,428 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EM Resources LLC
• Original Assignee: Boral Ip Holdings (Australia) Pty Limited (Seven Group Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Hill, Russell L., Zhang, Zhaozhou, Ai, Li, Hollett, Mark Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCANTONI, PAUL D
• Application Number:
  US13/646,060
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 106/705, 106/DIG.1, 106/708
• US Class Current: 106/705
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/12 Expanded clay
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/14 Minerals of vulcanic origin granite C04B14/048
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/16 porous, e.g. pumice
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/185 expanded
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/202 Vermiculite
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/305 Titanium oxide, e.g. titanates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 16/08 porous, e.g. expanded polystyrene beads or microballoons
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/06 Combustion residues, e.g. purification products of smoke, fumes or exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/08 Flue dust , i.e. fly ash
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/141 Slags
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/22 Rubber , e.g. ground waste tires
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 20/0048 Fibrous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/406 non-ionic
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2111/1037 Cement free compositions, e.g. hydraulically hardening mixtures based on waste materials, not containing cement as such
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/0013 Boron compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/04 Metals, e.g. aluminium used as blowing agent
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/062 of the alkali or alkaline-earth metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/068 Peroxides, e.g. hydrogen peroxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/124 Chlorides of ammonium or of the alkali or alkaline earth metals, e.g. calcium chloride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/06 containing hydroxy groups
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/006 : containing mineral polymers, e.g. geopolymers of the Davidovits type
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/021 : Ash cements, e.g. fly ash cements fly ash as filler C04B18/08; Cements based on incineration residues, e.g. alkali-activated slags from waste incineration alkali-activated combustion residues as such C04B7/243; mixtures of the lime-pozzuolane type C04B28/18; Kiln dust cements
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/02 : by adding chemical blowing agents
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/10 : by using foaming agents C04B38/02 takes precedenceor by using mechanical means, e.g. adding preformed foam
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 7/02 : Portland cement
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 7/32 : Aluminous cements
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 7/323 : Calcium aluminosulfate cements, e.g. cements hydrating into ettringite
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 40/10 : Production of cement, e.g. improving or optimising the production methods; Cement grinding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/91 : Use of waste materials as fillers for mortars or concrete

Abstract

Inorganic polymer compositions and methods for their preparation are described herein. The compositions include the reaction product of a reactive powder, an activator, and optionally a retardant in the presence of water and an aerating agent. The reactive powder includes 85% or greater fly ash. The aerating agent can be a blowing agent, a foaming agent, or a mixture of these. Also described herein are building materials including the compositions.

Claims

1. An inorganic polymer composition, comprising the reaction product of:

reactive powder comprising 85% or greater fly ash, and

an activator, wherein the activator includes a citrate or citric acid, and wherein the activator further includes sodium hydroxide;

in the presence of water and an aerating agent selected from the group consisting of blowing agents, foaming agents, and mixtures thereof,

wherein the reactive powder includes 5% by weight or less of Portland cement,

wherein the activator is present in an amount of from 1.5% to 8.5% dry weight, based on the weight of the reactive powder, and

wherein the aerating agent is present in an amount of from 1% to 8%, by weight of the reactive powder.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein greater than 75% of the fly ash comprises Class C fly ash.

3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the fly ash is present in an amount of greater than 95% by weight of the reactive powder.

4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the reactive powder further comprises portland cement, calcium aluminate cement, calcium sulfoaluminate cement, slag, or a mixture thereof.

5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition is free from Portland cement.

6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition has a pH of from 12 to 13.5.

7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of water to reactive powder is from 0.06:

1 to 0.25;

1.

8. The composition of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of water to reactive powder is from 0.06:

1 to less than 0.15;

1.

9. The composition of claim 1, wherein the blowing agent includes aluminum powder, a peroxide, a perborate, chlorine dioxide, or a mixture of these thereof.

10. The composition of claim 9, wherein the blowing agent includes a peroxide and the peroxide is provided to the composition as hydrogen peroxide, sodium peroxide, or an organic peroxide.

11. The composition of claim 9, wherein the blowing agent includes a perborate and the perborate is provided to the composition as sodium perborate.

12. The composition of claim 1, wherein the blowing agent is present in an amount of from 0.1% to 10% by weight of the reactive powder.

13. The composition of claim 1, wherein the blowing agent is present in an amount of from 0.5% to 5% by weight of the reactive powder.

14. The composition of claim 1 wherein the foaming agent includes non-ionic surfactants.

15. The composition of claim 1, further comprising aggregate.

16. The composition of claim 15, wherein the aggregate is lightweight aggregate selected from the group consisting of bottom ash, expanded clay, expanded shale, expanded perlite, vermiculite, volcanic tuff, pumice, hollow ceramic spheres, hollow plastic spheres, expanded plastic beads, ground tire rubber, and mixtures thereof.

17. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition is free from retardants.

18. The composition of claim 1, further comprising fibers.

19. The composition of claim 1, further comprising a photocatalyst.

20. The composition of claim 1, wherein the activator includes calcium aluminate cement, comprising 0.5 to 5%.

21. An inorganic polymer composition, comprising the reaction product of elements consisting essentially of:

reactive powder comprising 85% or greater fly ash, and

an activator, wherein the activator includes a citrate or citric acid, and wherein the activator further includes sodium hydroxide; and

optionally a retardant,

in the presence of water and an aerating agent selected from the group consisting of blowing agents, foaming agents, and mixtures thereof,

wherein the reactive powder includes 5% by weight of less of Portland cement,

wherein the activator is present in an amount of from 1.5% to 8.5%, and

wherein the aerating agent is present in an amount of from 1% to 8%.