Long-term performance: strength and metal encapsulation in alkali-activated iron ore tailings.

Understanding the strength behavior and leaching characteristics of mining tailings stabilized with alkali-activated cements in the short, medium, and long term is crucial for the feasibility of material applications. In this context, this study assessed the stabilization/solidification of iron ore tailings (IOT) using alkali-activated binder (AAB) composed of sugarcane bagasse ash and eggshell lime at curing times of 7, 28, 60, 90, 180, and 365 days. Additionally, leaching tests were conducted, along with the examination of possible changes in the chemical and mineralogical composition resulting from exposure to acidic environments. Tests included unconfined compression strength (UCS), leaching, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for the IOT-AAB mixtures. The highest increase in UCS was observed between 7 and 60 days, reaching 6.47 MPa, with minimal variation thereafter. The AAB-bonded IOT exhibited no metal toxicity over time. Elements Ba, Mn, Pb, and Zn present in IOT and ash were encapsulated in the cemented matrix, with complete encapsulation of all metals observed from 90 days of curing time. The mineralogy of the stabilized/solidified tailings showed no changes resulting from leaching tests. Characteristic bands associated with the presence of N-A-S-H gel were identified in both pre-leaching and post-leaching samples for all curing times analyzed. Exposure to acidic environments altered bands related to carbonate bonds formed in the IOT-AAB mixture.

Environmental, economic, and social impacts of sugar cane bagasse and eggshell wastes for soil stabilization.

Sustainability is a core topic for all sectors including geotechnical engineering (e.g., design of foundations, earthworks structures, and pavements for major infrastructure and building projects). Despite being comprised of environmental, economic, and social pillars, most sustainability studies in this area have focused on the first. Furthermore, social impacts and the three pillars integration are little explored. As a result, there is a lack of systemic and holistic assessments of innovative geotechnical alternatives. This research advances in this area by performing a complete sustainability assessment and integration of the environmental, economic, and social pillars of two expansive soil stabilization alternatives: (i) sugar cane bagasse ash combined with hydrated eggshell lime alkali-activated by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and (ii) Portland cement. Individual analyses were carried out to determine the environmental, economic, and social impacts, and the single sustainability index. Alkali-activated binder dosages showed higher impacts in 4 out of 10 environmental categories. For both binders, high-density/low-binder dosages contributed to environmental and economic sustainability as they require lower quantities of raw materials and diesel for materials transportation. The total costs of alkali-activated binder dosages ($189.79 and $154.45) were higher than that of Portland cement ($72.49 and $54.04), mainly due to the high cost of NaOH acquisition. However, the alkali-activated binder dosages implied lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and thus lower social cost of CO2. The alternative binder presented a higher positive social impact. The alkali-activated high-density/low binder dosage is the most sustainable soil stabilization strategy.

Metal encapsulation of waste foundry sand stabilized with alkali-activated binder: Batch and column leaching tests.

Waste stabilization processes are important to add value and reduce environmental risks related to metal contamination of soils and groundwater. This study evaluated the metal encapsulation of: (i) waste foundry sand (WFS) stabilized with an alkali-activated binder (AAB), compared to (ii) WFS-Portland cement (PC) mixture. The AAB was composed by sugar cane bagasse ash (SCBA), hydrated eggshell lime, and sodium hydroxide solution. The metal leaching behavior from WFS-AAB and WFS-PC was investigated through batch and column tests according to NBR 10005 and ASTM D4874 methods, respectively. All WFS-AAB and WFS-PC mixtures showed no metal toxicity. WFS-AAB matrices encapsulated the heavy metals Cd, Cr, and Pb from WFS and SCBA. Leaching results from NBR 10005 method were more favorable than ASTM D4874 for water quality limits (CONAMA 460, Dutch List, and EPA). Binder type, metals leaching patterns, and leaching test procedures were key factors in understanding the environmental performance of cemented WFS.

Mechanical and microstructural properties of iron mining tailings stabilized with alkali-activated binder produced from agro-industrial wastes.

This study evaluated the stabilization of iron ore tailings (IOTs) with an alkali-activated binder (AAB) produced from sugar cane bagasse ash, hydrated eggshell lime, and sodium hydroxide solution. Unconfined compressive strength, split tensile strength, initial shear stiffness, mineralogy, chemical composition, and microstructure of IOTs-AAB were evaluated. Strength values up to 6.59 MPa were achieved after 28 days-curing at 40 °C. Reducing porosity and increasing the binder content improved the overall mechanical behavior. N-A-S-H like gels were identified in IOTs-AAB mixtures. Finally, longer curing times led to more compact structures.

Leaching assessment of cemented bauxite tailings through wetting and drying cycles of durability test.

Disposal of mine tailings can cause negative environmental effects by releasing contaminants to surface and underground water. Alkali activation is a promising technique for immobilizing metals in stabilization/solidification of these wastes. This study evaluates the leaching behavior of cemented bauxite tailings (BT) submitted to weathering conditions. The alkali-activated binder was composed of sugar cane bagasse ash, carbide lime, and sodium hydroxide solution. Comparisons of the durability and leaching behavior of BT stabilized with alkali-activated binder and high initial strength Portland cement were performed. The durability results for alkali-activated were similar to the Portland cement, showing an average difference of 16%. Portland cement showed favorable results in the encapsulation of heavy metals like Cd and Hg, while the alkali-activated cement on Al, Cr, and Se. For Ba, Fe, Mn, and Zn immobilization, both types of cement presented an equal performance. The durability and leaching behavior of stabilized bauxite tailings is governed by the cement content and porosity of the blends, as well as their pH.

Análises do comportamento físico de um solo contaminado por borra oleosa ácida e encapsulado com cimento Portland / Analyses of physical behavior of a soil contaminated by acidic oily sludge and encapsulated with cement Portland

Este trabalho tem como objetivo aplicar a técnica de encapsulamento em um solo contaminado com crescentes quantidades do resíduo industrial borra oleosa ácida, utilizando como agente encapsulante o cimento Portland CP-V ARI. A aplicação da técnica de encapsulamento consistiu na realização de estudos pós-tratamento, analisando fisicamente o solo contaminado através de ensaios de resistência à compressão simples e durabilidade. Os resultados apontam que quanto maior a quantidade de borra oleosa ácida presente no solo encapsulado, menor a resistência à compressão simples e maior a perda de massa.

The objective of this study is applying the encapsulation technique in soil contaminated with increasing amounts of acidic oily sludge industrial residues, using Portland cement CP-V ARI as the encapsulating agent. The application of the encapsulation technique consisted in the accomplishment of post-treatment studies, analyzing the contaminated soil physically through unconfined compressive strength and durability tests. The results showed that an increasing amount of acidic oily sludge in the encapsulated soil ends up lowering the unconfined compressive strength as well as increasing the mass loss.

Compacted artificially cemented soil-acid leachate contaminant interactions: breakthrough curves and transport parameters.

The transport of contaminants through compacted artificially cemented soil subjected to acid leachate contaminant percolation was analyzed by means of laboratory column tests. The effect of cement content, degree of acidity and hydraulic gradient were evaluated after permeation of several pore volumes of acid leachate contaminant flow through the soil. The pH, electric conductivity and solute breakthrough curves were considered throughout the study. The results showed that the increase of cement content increases the solute pore volumes needed before breakthrough occurred. An increase of the degree of acidity of the percolate and of the hydraulic gradient cause a reduction in the pore volumes needed before breakthrough occurred. The larger the soil cement content, the longer the time required to reach maximum effluent solute concentration. The hydraulic conductivity slightly increased due to cement addition and reduced with increasing degree of acidity of the percolate. Finally, it is possible to state that cement addition to the soil was responsible for increasing retardation coefficient (R) and distribution coefficient (kd) values, meaning that the artificially cemented soils have higher capability to retard the propagation of the contamination and amplified affinity with dissolved acid contaminant.