TITLE:
Recovery of Mining Wastes in Building Materials: A Review
AUTHORS:
Alinabiwe Nyamuhanga Ally, Manjia Marcelline Blanche, Ursula Joyce Pettang Nana, Masika Muhiwa Grâce, Ngapgue François, Chrispin Pettang
KEYWORDS:
Mining Waste, Tailings, Waste Rock, Slug, Fired Brick, Backfill Material, Cement Materials
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Civil Engineering,
Vol.11 No.4,
November
10,
2021
ABSTRACT: The use
of materials from waste in buildings compensates for the lack of natural
resources, solves the problem of waste management and provides an alternative technique for protection of the
environment. There are a large number of industrial wastes that are used
for full or partial replacement of raw materials in some construction
materials. This review assesses mining waste in concrete as a substitute for
aggregates and cement; in fired bricks as a substitute for soil; and in road
backfill as a substitute for soil. This paper reviews some mining tailings,
mine waste rocks and some slags obtained in the exploitation and/or processing
of some ores including iron, gold, lead, phosphate, copper, coal, etc.
Different physical properties, mechanical properties, chemical properties, heavy
metal content, mineralogic composition, geotechnical properties and
environmental properties (leaching test) of the mine wastes were examined. The
physical, mechanical and environmental properties of the materials obtained by
substitution of raw materials by mine waste were examined and compared to
reference materials. Mining waste in cementitious materials offers good
compressive strengths, while the porosity of the concrete and/or mortar is a
factor influencing its toxicity. As for the waste in fired bricks, fired at a
temperature of 900°C or more, it offers convincing compressive
and flexural strengths. The few research studies obtained on the use of mining
waste in road embankments have shown that mining waste can be used as a sub-base
layer and backfill as long as it is not toxic. In addition, several other
mining wastes require special attention as substitutes for raw materials in
construction materials, such as coltan, cobalt.