Use of Clay-Containing Tailings in Geopolymer Production

Abstract

This paper stresses the enormous contribution made by L. A. Vaysberg (1944–2020), Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, research supervisor at Mekhanobr-Tekhnika and Russia’s lead expert in mineral and man-made materials processing and mechanical engineering for the mining industry, to the design, engineering and operation of vibration machines that are used in mining, construction and recycling industries. Under Vaysberg’s leadership, Mekhanobr-Tekhnika realized a number of complex innovation projects aimed at developing and implementing on a large scale energy- and resource-saving technologies and equipment for mining, metallurgy and construction applications, as well as for the recycling industry that deals with the processing of various materials, including industrial and household waste. Today, the equipment produced by company is also used by the construction industry and for revamping of crushing, screening, asphalt and concrete production sites and other industries. This paper examines the effect of thermochemical modification on the separation of clay-containing ore slurries. Such sites as tailings ponds and landfills, which carry liquid phase, should minimize their environmental impact and ensure health safety. One of the possible ways to dispose of tailings is to utilize them as pozzolanic additives for cements (a mineral additive capable of bonding Ca(OH)2 into stable hydrates) and as a raw material for producing geopolymers. The authors look at the effect of various parameters on the way geopolymers form and on their properties. It was found that the process of thermochemical modification makes it possible to utilize the tailings of clay-containing ores as a raw material in geopolymer production. This research was funded through a grant by the Russian Science Foundation (Project No. 18-17-00169).