Concrete is the foremost produced construction material in the world. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is the major ingredient used in the production of concrete, and it has a higher carbon footprint since the process of cement manufacturing contributes a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the use of conventional concrete leads to unsustainability. Geopolymer concrete (GPC) is a promising alternative to conventional concrete as it has a very minimal carbon footprint. GPC is composed of pozzolanic materials, such as fly ash or ground granulated burst furnace slag (GGBFS), and highly alkaline solutions that act as activators. Fly ash has a negligible carbon footprint compared to Portland cement since it is a by-product of coal-fired power plants that is typically disposed of in a landfill.

The construction industry in Sri Lanka is rapidly expanding these days, and sustainable construction concepts are being enforced. One of the major impediments the concrete industry is currently facing is the growing demand for sustainability. Although GPC is not currently used in any construction projects in Sri Lanka, since fly ash is a readily available industrial waste material in Sri Lanka, GPC could be the future of the Sri Lankan concrete industry. This study aims to investigate the potentials of using GPC for local construction projects in Sri Lanka. Lakvijaya Power Station, a coal-fired power plant in Sri Lanka's north-western region, produces millions of tonnes of fly ash per year and currently supplies a large amount of fly ash to local cement manufacturers. Hence, economically meeting the needs for fly ash for the production of GPC is not a problem in Sri Lanka. Based on the preliminary findings of this study, replacing OPC concrete with GPC could reduce the carbon footprint by up to 80% for 30 MPa concrete. Moreover, the compressive strength results demonstrated by GPC were comparable to or greater than those of OPC concrete. Further research is required to investigate the durability characteristics of GPC.