Aim of the work is designing wool-geopolymer composite pots as an alternative to commonly used peat ones. A geopolymer slurry was mixed using metakaolin and K2SiO3. Wool hanks were impregnated with the slurry and molded to form a pot. Already grown plants and seeds were studied over a period of 6 weeks. Both pH and soil moisture content were monitored over the reference period. First results outlined that wool-geopolymer pots promote the earlier growth of seeds comparing to the reference ones. The alkaline environment of the geopolymer is indeed able to partially degrade the keratine structure of the wool (but preserving the fibers' nature), making most nutrients readily available for the sprouts. Moreover, the intrinsic porosity of the composite and the hygroscopic properties of the wool allow to maintain a significantly higher moisture content in the potting soil, thus significantly reducing the weekly amount of water needed. With regards to enterprises: CNR-ISTEC designs lab-scale geopolymer and geopolymer-based composite prototypes and evaluates the materials performances in terms of micro/macrostructure, chemical stability and mechnical properties. TRL 4-5
Design of porous wool-geopolymer composite pots
A Natali Murri;E Papa;V Medri;E Landi
2014
Abstract
Aim of the work is designing wool-geopolymer composite pots as an alternative to commonly used peat ones. A geopolymer slurry was mixed using metakaolin and K2SiO3. Wool hanks were impregnated with the slurry and molded to form a pot. Already grown plants and seeds were studied over a period of 6 weeks. Both pH and soil moisture content were monitored over the reference period. First results outlined that wool-geopolymer pots promote the earlier growth of seeds comparing to the reference ones. The alkaline environment of the geopolymer is indeed able to partially degrade the keratine structure of the wool (but preserving the fibers' nature), making most nutrients readily available for the sprouts. Moreover, the intrinsic porosity of the composite and the hygroscopic properties of the wool allow to maintain a significantly higher moisture content in the potting soil, thus significantly reducing the weekly amount of water needed. With regards to enterprises: CNR-ISTEC designs lab-scale geopolymer and geopolymer-based composite prototypes and evaluates the materials performances in terms of micro/macrostructure, chemical stability and mechnical properties. TRL 4-5I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
