A method for rapid biocementation of a material under low moisture conditions includes mixing a cell lysate of a urease-producing microbe with the material and, optionally, a calcium source and/or a carbon source, under initial moisture conditions of less than about 15% by weight to form a cementing composition; incubating the cementing composition for a selected time under pressure conditions of between 0 to 1500 bars to form an incubated mixture; and curing the incubated mixture for hours to weeks.

A method for rapid biocementation of a material under low moisture conditions includes mixing a cell lysate of a urease-producing microbe with the material and, optionally, a calcium source and/or a carbon source, under initial moisture conditions of less than about 15% by weight to form a cementing composition; incubating the cementing composition for a selected time under pressure conditions of between 0 to 1500 bars to form an incubated mixture; and curing the incubated mixture for hours to weeks.

Geopolymer compositions incorporating slag or other alumino-silicate and calcium containing binder components are described. The geopolymer compositions incorporate C-(N)-A-S-H/C-A-S-H gels providing improved adhesion strength and resistance to chemical attack. Methods of methods of making and using the geopolymers are further described, with the embodied geopolymers being compatible with multiple conventional application processes, including pouring, spraying, screeding, and troweling.

In one embodiment, a geopolymer formulation for a building material comprises sand, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), fly ash, sodium tetraborate, boric acid, zeolite, sodium caseinate, and SC-9. Optionally, the formulation also comprises additional constituents like sodium metasilicate, sodium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, hemp, basalt fibers, aggregates, and fillers. Building materials manufactured from the geopolymer formulation have high compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, impact resistance, and thermal resistance.

Described herein are methods of making polysialate systems using earth materials treated by plasma or microwave to make the earth materials alkali reactive. A treated earth material is obtained, for example by treating an earth material using plasma, microwaves, or both. A metal is removed from the treated earth material, for example by mixing with an organic solvent or aqueous solution having pH less than about 9. The remaining earth material is alkali reactive and can be formed into a polysialate system by exposure to a high pH aqueous solution.

A composition and method for well cementing are provided. The composition comprises a geopolymer slurry that is prepared by mixing a particulate material comprising ground red mud, an alkaline activator, an aqueous solvent, and a SiO.sub.2 source material added to produce a geopolymer slurry with a Si/Al ratio of from 2 to 6. The method for well cementing includes pumping a geopolymer slurry into a location to be cemented and hardening the geopolymer slurry to form a cement.

A vegetal concrete masonry unit is provided which comprises cooked crop residues, binder and pulverized fuel ash in a mass ratio of 1:1:1.5 to 1:1.5:3.

A method for producing a geopolymer composition that includes injecting carbon dioxide gas to a slurry containing slag fine powder and water so that the pH of the slurry becomes 6.0 to 12.0, to perform carbonation treatment to the slag fine powder, and mixing the slurry containing the slag fine powder which has been subjected to carbonation treatment with fly ash and alkali metal salt; or injecting carbon dioxide gas to a slurry containing slag fine powder, fly ash and water so that the pH of the slurry becomes 6.0 to 12.0, to perform carbonation treatment to the slag fine powder, and mixing the slurry containing the slag fine powder which has been subjected to carbonation treatment with alkali metal salt.

Geopolymeric compositions are presented that are useful as geopolymer slurries for cementing subterranean wells. The slurries may contain an aluminosilicate source, an alkaline source, and a carrier fluid. The slurries generate an alkali metal or alkaline earth hydroxide activator in situ, thereby avoiding or reducing handling of alkali materials at a wellsite.

A geopolymeric composition for forming an alkali-activated concrete material, the geopolymeric composition comprising metakaolin (MK), a source of calcium oxide and a source of aluminosilicate other than metakaolin (MK). A method for forming an alkali-activated concrete material and the use of such an alkali-activated concrete material are also described.