| Biography | |
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 Prof. R. Kumutha Department of Civil Engineering, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, India |
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| Title: GEOPOLYMERS – LOW CARBON AND SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL FOR CONSTRUCTION | |
| Abstract: Concrete made with cement is the most widely used material on earth accounting for some 30% of all materials flows on the planet and 70% of all materials flows in the built environment. Dust emissions during cement manufacturing have long been accepted as one of the main issues facing the industry. Development of alternative binding material is necessary. Geopolymer Technology is the solution which has a dual advantage of waste utilisation and emissions reduction. Geopolymers are produced by the polymerization process of silica and alumina rich source materials under the alkali activation of sodium or potassium-based solution under ambient condition or heat curing condition. The polymerisation process results in a three-dimensional polymeric chain and ring structure resulting in a rock-hard, inorganic polymer. Geopolymers have excellent compressive strength, superior chemical resistance, resistance to Alkali Silica Reaction, Low creep, little drying shrinkage, fire resistance and other superior characteristics as well. Several design parameters contribute to the properties of the geopolymers namely particle size distribution, paste parameters like Fluids: Binder ratio by mass, Si:Al ratio by atoms, SiO2: Na2O ratio by mass and H2O: Na2O ratio by mass, use of admixtures, curing time, curing temperature etc. In spite of several advantages of geopolymers, there are several barriers for the implementation of this material for real time applications which will also be discussed and the possible pathways for the successful application of geopolymers in construction industry will also be addressed in the lecture. Geopolymer building materials, being inorganic, will not emit toxic organic substances into the building air space during the service life of the building. Geopolymers offer a number of unique physical features and Geopolymer Technology is one of the answers for developing Green or ecofriendly building materials which leads to the possibility of Sustainable development. | |
| Biography: Dr.R.Kumutha is presently Professor & Head, Department of Civil Engineering , Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Sriperumbudur which is one of the Prestigious Higher Education Institutions in Chennai, India. Her research area is Fibre reinforced Polymer Composites, Geopolymers and Sustainability in Construction. Dr.R.Kumutha has published papers in 55 International / National Journals out of which 24 Journal Publications are Scopus Indexed with 270 Citations and H index of 8 and 559 Citations in Google Scholar and H index of 8. Dr.R.Kumutha had received funded projects from Department of Science & Technology, University Grants Commission and AICTE, New Delhi. In total, she has fetched a grant of about Rs.40 lakhs from various funding agencies. In recognition of her outstanding research contributions, her Biographical profile has been included in Marquis who’s who in the World 2009. Dr.R.Kumutha is the recipient of many Prestigious awards like Shayesta Akhtar Memorial National Award for Best Women Engineering College Teacher for the year 2018 from Indian Society for Technical Education, New Delhi, Prof. K Arumugam National Award for Innovative research in Engineering & Technology for the year 2014 from ISTE, New Delhi , State Award for Best Engineering College Teacher for the year 2016 from ISTE, Tamilnadu & Pondicherry Section and Best Guide Award from Entrepreneurs Council of India in National level Paper Presentation contest. She played the role of Scientific Committee member, Keynote Speaker and Session Chair in several International Conferences held in Singapore, Dubai and Czech Republic and she has also delivered Expert lectures for many Technical Institutions in India. | |
