| Title | Valorizing (cleaned) sulfidic mine waste as a resource for construction materials |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 16060 |
| Authors | Helser, J; Perumal, P; Cappuyns, V |
| Title | Valorizing (cleaned) sulfidic mine waste as a resource for construction materials |
| Year | 2022 |
| Published | |
| Abstract | Proper management and storage of mine waste, e.g., tailings and waste rock, is one of the main issues that mining industries face. Additionally, there is already an uncountable amount of existent historical mine waste, which may, even centuries after the closure of the mine, still be leaching contaminants into the environment. One solution to minimize the risks associated with the mine waste, with also potential economic benefits, is through the valorization of the waste. This can be done by first recovering valuable metals and removing hazardous contaminants. Then, the remaining residue can be valorized into green construction materials, such as geopolymers, ceramics or cement. For some mine waste materials, such as those with only trace levels of metals that are not economically viable to extract, the "waste " can be reused directly without this additional cleaning step. In the present study, mine waste originating from three different sites was characterized and compared with the cleaned mine waste (i.e., cleaned by bioleaching or flotation methods) and with different types of green construction materials containing 13-80 wt% (cleaned and uncleaned) mine waste. Particular emphasis was given to the mobilization of metal(loid)s from the mine waste and construction materials (i.e., ceramics, alkali-activated materials and cement) under different conditions, through a series of leaching tests (i.e., EN 12457-2, US EPA's Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, and a pH-dependent leaching test). The leaching tests were applied to either mimic current 'natural' conditions at the mining site, conditions in a landfill (end of life) or extreme conditions (i.e., extremely acidic or alkaline pH). Most of the original mine waste samples contain high levels of Pb (18-3160 mg/kg), Zn (66-10500 mg/kg), and As (10-4620 mg/kg). . The cleaning methods were not always efficient in removing the metal(loid)s and sulfur. In some cases, the cleaned mine waste samples even contained higher total metal(loid) and sulfur concentrations than the original mine waste samples. Based on the leaching studies, some alkali-activated materials, ceramics, and cement effectively immobilized certain metals (e.g., < 0.5 mg/kg of Pb and < 4 mg/kg of Zn). Also, longer curing times of the alkali-activated materials, in most cases, improved the immobilization of metal(loid)s. Additionally, for ceramics, the temperature at which the test pieces were fired (up to 1060 ?), also played a major role in decreasing the mobility of some metal(loid)s, while increasing others (e.g., As, potentially via the structural rearrangement of As and Fe). Overall, through this detailed characterization, the environmental impact from the mine waste to the downstream products was evaluated, determining which valorization methods are the most viable to close the circular economy loop. |
Similar Articles
| ID | Score | Article |
|---|---|---|
26492
|
Moreno-González, R; Macías, F; Meyer, A; Schneider, P; Nieto, JM; Olfas, M; Cánovas, CR Life cycle assessment of management/valorisation practices for metal-sludge from treatment of acid mine drainage(2023) | |
| 15675
|
Kotte-Hewa, DJ; Durce, D; Salah, S; Cánovas, CR; Smolders, E Remediation of acid mine drainage and immobilization of rare earth elements: Comparison between natural and residual alkaline materials(2023) | |
| 28997
|
Masindi, V; Foteinis, S; Renforth, P; Ndiritu, J; Maree, JP; Tekere, M; Chatzisymeon, E Challenges and avenues for acid mine drainage treatment, beneficiation, and valorisation in circular economy: A review(2022) | |
| 10294
|
Kamberovic, Z; Gajic, N; Korac, M; Jevtic, S; Sokic, M; Stojanovic, J Technologically Sustainable Route for Metals Valorization from Jarosite-PbAg Sludge(2021)Minerals, 11, 3 | |
| 6466
|
Terrones-Saeta, JM; Suarez-Macías, J; Castañón, AM; Corpas-Iglesias, FA Evaluation of Copper Leaching for Subsequent Recovery from the Waste Dumps of the Linares Mining District and Their Use for Construction Materials(2021)Metals, 11, 8 | |
| 12898
|
Karayannis, VG; Karapanagioti, HK; Domopoulou, AE; Komilis, DP Stabilization/Solidification of Hazardous Metals from Solid Wastes into Ceramics(2017)Waste And Biomass Valorization, 8.0, 5 | |
| 15181
|
Gómez-Arias, A; Yesares, L; Caraballo, MA; Maleke, M; Vermeulen, D; Nieto, JM; van Heerden, E; Castillo, J Environmental and geochemical characterization of alkaline mine wastes from Phalaborwa (Palabora) Complex, South Africa(2021) | |
| 24501
|
Rosario-Beltré, AJ; Sánchez-España, J; Rodríguez-Gómez, V; Fernández-Naranjo, FJ; Bellido-Martín, E; Adánez-Sanjuán, P; Arranz-González, JC Critical Raw Materials recovery potential from Spanish mine wastes: A national-scale preliminary assessment(2023) | |
| 10676
|
Kinnunen, P; Mäkinen, J; Salo, M; Soth, R; Komnitsas, K Efficiency of Chemical and Biological Leaching of Copper Slag for the Recovery of Metals and Valorisation of the Leach Residue as Raw Material in Cement Production(2020)Minerals, 10, 8 | |
| 15128
|
Sanchez-Ramos, D; Garrido, FJLB; Hernández, IA; Romero, LR; Camacho, JV; Fernández-Morales, FJ Sustainable use of wastes as reactive material in permeable reactive barrier for remediation of acid mine drainage: Batch and continuous studies(2023) |