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The microstructure evolution and strength development of cemented tailings backfill (CTB), mixed with plant tailings and cement, is critical to a more thorough and complete understanding of its functionality as a support structure in underground mining operations. Here, an experimental study is conducted to investigate the effect of the solid contents of tailings, binder proportion, and type of cement reagent on unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and microstructure evolution with respect to a 90-day curing time. The results indicate that the mechanical strength gain is proportionally associated with increased binder and solid content. Besides, the samples prepared with 70 wt % solid content and a 25 wt % binder/tailings ratio have a maximum UCS of 6.26 MPa at a curing time of 90 days. In addition, it is also concluded that the binder proportion promotes the strength acquisition of CTB samples. Specifically, the 90-day UCS of the CTB with solid content of 68 wt % and binder content of 25 wt % is approximately twice that of the CTB with a 12.5 wt % binder proportion. Slag cement (Binder B1) and slag cement with 5 wt % NaOH (Binder B2) are used as admixture to replace the cement reagent; the results show that Binder B2 has more advantages than Binder B1 and Portland cement, and is a suitable cementing material for the CTB technology in the Daye Iron Mine. The microstructure is dominated by the network of hydration products and distribution of the pore, and hydrated material is significantly influenced by the curing time. The tailings particles are enclosed by the hydration products, and randomly disperse within their matrix at curing time of 90 days. Finally, the UCSs of CTB samples are observed to significantly increase with the increase in the curing time.

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