ORIGINAL PAPER
A Mechanical and Environmental Approach on the Partial Substitution for Aggregate in Mortar Using Various Metal Mine Tailings
1
Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa
Submission date: 2025-01-31
Final revision date: 2025-04-07
Acceptance date: 2025-04-23
Publication date: 2026-03-31
Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi – Mineral Resources Management 2026;42(1):69-92
KEYWORDS
sustainable miningmortaruniaxial compression strength (UCS)acid mine drainage (AMD)methylene blue value (MBV)
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The problem of managing the high amounts of mine tailings has become important with the increase in production in mining activities. The tailings must be stored or disposed of in a controlled manner to eliminate or minimize their negative effects such as air, water, and soil pollution. In particular, the tailings of metal mines have acid mine drainage (AMD) risk and must be stored under safe conditions. The use of these tailings in an appropriate industry, such as concrete production, will increase the sustainability of mining activities. This study investigates the effect of gold (AuT), lead-zinc (LZT), copper (CuT), and iron (FeT) metal mine tailings as a partial substitution base material for aggregate in concrete in terms of mechanical and environmental aspects using uniaxial compression strength (UCS) tests and pH measurements, respectively. The results indicated that the strength of the reference concrete without tailing (32 MPa) could be reached or even exceeded by tailing substituted mortar samples with 5% AuT, 5% CuT, and 20% LZT. The strength of several mortar samples increased with the curing time due to the filler effect and pozzolanic activity, while it decreased due to the clay effect and sulfate attacks depending on the tailing type and the substitution ratio. The pH value of the tailings, which was between 8.5 and 9.5, was not affected significantly by atmospheric oxidation. When these tailings were used in concrete production, the suspension pH approached 13 due to the alkaline properties of the cement, almost eliminating the AMD risk.
FUNDING
This study was funded by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, grant numbers: 36443.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The Authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
METADATA IN OTHER LANGUAGES:
Polish
Mechaniczne i środowiskowe podejście do częściowego zastąpienia kruszywa w zaprawie z wykorzystaniem różnych odpadów poflotacyjnych z kopalni metali
zrównoważone górnictwo, zaprawa, wytrzymałość na ściskanie jednoosiowe (UCS), kwaśny drenaż kopalniany (AMD), wartość błękitu metylenowego (MBV)
Problem zarządzania dużymi ilościami odpadów poflotacyjnych stał się istotny wraz ze wzrostem produkcji w górnictwie. Odpady poflotacyjne muszą być składowane lub utylizowane w sposób kontrolowany, aby wyeliminować lub zminimalizować ich negatywne skutki, takie jak zanieczyszczenie powietrza, wody i gleby. W szczególności odpady poflotacyjne z kopalni metali stwarzają ryzyko kwaśnego odwodnienia kopalni (AMD) i muszą być składowane w bezpiecznych warunkach. Wykorzystanie tych odpadów w odpowiednim przemyśle, takim jak produkcja betonu, poprawi zrównoważony rozwój działalności górniczej. W niniejszym badaniu zbadano wpływ odpadów kopalnianych złota (AuT), ołowiu i cynku (LZT), miedzi (CuT) i żelaza (FeT) jako częściowego substytutu kruszywa w betonie pod względem aspektów mechanicznych i środowiskowych, wykorzystując odpowiednio testy wytrzymałości na ściskanie jednoosiowe (UCS) i pomiary pH. Wyniki wskazały, że wytrzymałość betonu referencyjnego bez odpadów (32 MPa) można osiągnąć lub nawet przekroczyć, stosując próbki zaprawy z 5-procentowym dodatkiem AuT, 5-procentowym dodatkiem CuT i 20-procentowym dodatkiem LZT. Wytrzymałość kilku próbek zaprawy wzrosła wraz z czasem utwardzania ze względu na efekt wypełniacza i aktywność pucolanową, podczas gdy spadła ze względu na efekt gliny i ataki siarczanów, w zależności od rodzaju odpadów i współczynnika podstawienia. Wartość pH odpadów, która wynosiła od 8,5 do 9,5, nie została znacząco zmieniona przez utlenianie atmosferyczne. Po wykorzystaniu tych odpadów w produkcji betonu pH zawiesiny zbliżyło się do 13 ze względu na zasadowe właściwości cementu, co praktycznie wyeliminowało ryzyko AMD.
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