Solidification Experiment of Lithium-Slag and Fine-Tailings Based Geopolymers

Bi-Bo Dai, Yi Zou (), Yan He, Ming Lan and Qian Kang
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Bi-Bo Dai: State Key Laboratory of Safety and Health for Metal Mines, Maanshan 243000, China
Yi Zou: Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd., Xiamen 572000, China
Yan He: School of Resources & Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
Ming Lan: School of Resources & Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
Qian Kang: State Key Laboratory of Safety and Health for Metal Mines, Maanshan 243000, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Based on the pressure of environmental protection, more and more scientific researchers are trying to reuse aluminum–silicon-rich industrial wastes. In this study, activated lithium-slag and lead–zinc tailings were used as raw materials to prepare geopolymers at ratios of 3:7, 1:1, and 7:3. These geopolymers were initially cured for 12 h at 25 °C, 50 °C, 75 °C, and 100 °C and were then cured at room temperature to the specified ages. The compressive strength of each group of geopolymers was tested at the ages of 3 days, 7 days, and 28 days. The optimal group of samples was selected, that is, those with a ratio of lithium-slag to lead–zinc tailings of 7:3 and an initial curing temperature of 75 °C. After that, the heavy metal leaching test and porosity analysis test were carried out on the optimal group of samples, and the curing effect was considered to meet the requirements of the Chinese specifications. In addition, in order to reveal the mechanism of the chemical reaction, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to study the microstructure and hydration products of the C3 group cured samples. This study provides a new concept for the reuse of industrial wastes such as lithium-slag and fine-tailings.

Keywords: sustainable mining; tailings reuse; unclassified tailings; lithium-slag; geopolymer; environmental protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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