Joseph Davidovits proposes mixing ground limestone or desert sand with natron, water, lime and mineral binders. He says heating natron with silica yields sodium silicate as a binder; the cast material hardens over days, and he reports a hardness of about 6.5 on the Mohs scale. The video argues this method could let ancient Egyptians cast and reshape stone. Natron occurs naturally in Egypt and was used in mummification. ⚗️🪨
Davidovits proposes natron-based casting and reshaping of ancient stone
Key facts
- Joseph Davidovits's proposed recipe combines ground limestone, granite or desert sand with natron, water, lime and mineral binders.
- Davidovits says heating the mixture produces a material chemically and physically different from modern concrete.
- He says the mixture can be cast in molds and harden over days in hot climates as water evaporates.
- He says the material can be sliced, cut and carved while soft.
- Natron is chiefly hydrated sodium carbonate, often accompanied by sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate, and occurs naturally in Egypt.
- Davidovits proposes that natron reacts with silica or quartz on heating to form sodium silicate, or water glass, which acts as a geopolymer binder.
- Davidovits reports a hardness of approximately 6.5 on the Mohs scale for the resulting stone.
- The video argues that limestone, granite, diorite and basalt could be melted and recast using this method.
- Ancient Egyptians used natron in mummification.
Sources
Davidouvits | Geopolymer House Bloggeopolymerhouses.wordpress.com
The cementitious material is created by adding sodium carbonate (also known as soda ash, trona, natron, sodium carbonate decahydrate, sodium ...
Did the African from Egypt invent geopolymer concrete to ...historum.com
Dr. Davidovits and his team duplicated the process in situ, and were able to reproduce Giza stone with the same tools. ARI-KAT stone solidifies ...
Joseph DAVIDOVITS | Professor Emeritusresearchgate.net
Joseph Davidovits is known by the scientific community for being the inventor of geopolymer science. The general public recognizes his works on ...
Joseph Davidovitsen.wikipedia.org
Joseph Davidovits (born 23 March 1935) is a French materials scientist. He posited that the blocks of the Great Pyramid are not carved stone but mostly a ...
Analysis and Reproduction of Geopolymer Concretedspace.mit.edu
One such theory is from Joseph Davidovits, a mid 1980's French materials scientist, who suggested that the stones had been casted using geopolymerization.
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