Preliminary Study on the Mechanical Activation and High-Temperature Treatment of Saponite-Containing Tailings Generated during Kimberlite Ore Dressing

Abstract

This study investigates transformations of a pre-mechanically activated saponite-containing material with subsequent high-temperature treatment. The thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that the mechanical activation of saponite leads to the destruction of its layered structure, accompanied by the release of silicon dioxide and magnesium oxide in free form. The values of surface activity for mechanically activated saponite-containing material are also calculated. It is shown that when mechanically activated saponite-containing material is mixed with water, minerals of the serpentine group are formed, and further high-temperature treatment leads to the formation of minerals of the olivine group. It is experimentally shown that high-temperature treatment leads to the creation of a more durable structure of the saponite-containing material. This is due to decreased porosity and pore size, and sorption of moisture from the environment is also reduced. The study showed that saponite-containing waste materials can be effectively treated to create composite materials based on magnesia binders. Thus, with this method, the waste is effectively recycled into various green building material and can be used as supplementary cementitious material or fine aggregate replacement in concrete.