The use of copper tailing of mineral processing plant in the preparation of concrete in order to prevent environmental pollution

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

University of Sistan and Baluchestan

Abstract

Copper tailing is the by-product of copper processing plants, and due to their large volume and physical and chemical characteristics, they bring many environmental and economic problems. The recent research examines the effect of using mineral processing tailings of copper as a substitute for cement on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete. For this purpose, five mixing plans with different percentages of copper tailings from Chehel-Koreh mine were used in concrete production. This tail contains Si, Fe, Mg and Al. 105 samples including 75 cubic samples with dimensions of 10×10×10 cm and 30 cylindrical samples with dimensions of 15×30 cm were prepared. The results showed that using 5% copper tail improve the compressive strength compared to the control sample. If the copper tail increased to 10%, a decrease in the compressive strength was observed, and despite this decrease, the compressive strength was still higher than the control sample. By using copper tailings, there was a slight decrease in tensile strength. Electrical resistance and water absorption tests at the age of 28 days showed that using copper tail cause a slight decrease in electrical resistance and water absorption. In addition, adding 5 to 10 percent of copper tailings instead of cement will reduce concrete production costs and energy consumption with less cement consumption, reduce damage to the environment with less cement production and optimal use of copper tailings. Therefore, copper tailings can be used as a suitable alternative for partial replacement of cement in concrete.

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Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering
Volume 56, Issue 6
2024
Pages 705-728

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