Abstract
Copper slag is a voluminous waste material obtained during the manufacturing of copper (matte smelting process). As its disposal becomes a concern for environmental protection agencies and governments, possible alternative outlets for this waste material are needed. The paper presents a laboratory study on CEM-II concrete mixes, containing water-cooled copper slag waste material for a partial or full replacement of fine concrete aggregate. A series of tests were performed at two different water to cement ratios, to determine the workability, cube compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, static modulus of elasticity, and a number of durability-related characteristics (water absorption, accelerated corrosion, carbonation, alkali-silica reaction). The results showed that water-cooled copper slag had variable effects on the resulting fresh or hardened concrete properties, depending on the sand replacement level and water to cement ratio. However the measured strength values were likely to be linked to the usual variability of concrete batches, rather than a significant effect of the copper slag aggregate. This hypothesis was further supported by statistical analysis. Concerning the durability related characteristics, the overall performance of the concrete containing copper-slag was in most cases similar or better than that of normal concrete with natural sand aggregate. Based on the results water-cooled copper slag can therefore be considered to be a suitable fine aggregate for concrete. This shows promise for developing an additional viable solution to tackle the issue of copper slag waste.
Highlights
Industrial operations produce large quantities of waste materials
These showed that all 0.55 w/c mixes had high (100–175 mm) to very high slumps and workability; in most cases the slumps of mixes including copper slag were lower to those of the control mixes, in particular for a water/cement ratio of 0.45, which for high percentages of copper slag showed low to very low workabilities, which would be inadequate for a number of practical uses
The waste material produced in the extraction process of copper metal in refinery plants, has a number of physical characteristics similar to that of natural sand; it can be a potentially good candidate for use as a fine aggregate in concrete production with many environmental benefits, such as waste recycling and the avoidance of landfilling, as well as a reduction in the need for using non-renewable natural aggregate
Summary
An example is copper slag (CS), a voluminous waste material obtained during the manufacturing of copper. While copper-matte liquid is settling down in the smelter due to its higher density, smears of copper slag are segregated and remain on the surface ( in liquid form). The utilization and disposal of this waste CS becomes a concern for environmental protection agencies and governments, as to obtain 1 ton of clear copper 2.2-3 million tons of CS are produced [1], with an annual worldwide production of copper recently reported to be approximately 35 million tonnes [2]. Due to the increasing problem, a number of studies showed many possibilities of how this material could
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