摘要：Production and utilisation of the two hundred year old Portland cement harmed our environment enough and this is quite evident from the results of several impact assessment studies conducted till to date. Deterioration and damage to our environment could be substantial if the dependence on such an energy intensive and versatile material is not reduced. The quest for sustainable alternatives that would substitute or completely replace this polluting binder in the concrete already started. Extinction of the age old practice of producing cement (binder) from pollution causing methods and materials seems to be predictably possible in the near future. Inorganic polymer compounds called as “Geopolymers” are proving to be the materials possessing the potential to become appropriate alternatives to Portland cement. Extensive studies are being conducted worldwide on the use of Geopolymer as an alternative to Portland cement in making the most widely used manmade material which is nothing but the concrete. This paper seeks to provide a context for development of this alternative binder, its properties, advantages and limitations. This attempt has been made based on the available literature and other reliable sources of information.
