Recycling lithium mine tailings in the production of low temperature (700–900 °C) ceramics: Effect of ladle slag and sodium compounds on the processing and final properties

Abstract

This paper deals with the valorization of quartz and felspar rich lithium mine tailings (QFS) in the development of construction materials. Ladle slag was used as green strength increasing agent.Sodium hydroxide and carbonate were used as fluxing agents to allow sintering at 700 -900 ºC. Of these, sodium hydroxide was found to be the more efficient. The sintered ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, compressive test, water absorption, apparent density and dilatometry; the results were found to comply with ASTM C62-99 specifications for building brick, and interesting for a sustainable use of resources.

Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their Implications

“…It is important to emphasize that even if a residue is not directly linked to mineral exploration, it entered the subsequent analysis of this Section because its use in the composition of mineral residues in recycling processes was identified in several analyzed articles, signaling its importance. For example, metallurgical waste in [32,71,72] and steel slag in [73][74][75][76].…”

“…This mining waste can be used as construction material (road construction), both in infrastructure and in the reclamation of land damaged by mining [110,111]. However, the use of slag from metallurgical processes is more common for the recovery/recycling of tailings from mining, so steel slag is among the more commonly used waste types [32,74,112]. For example, there is a study that was carried out recycling gold mining waste by slag atomization, being a process without harmful environmental impacts.…”

Incorporation of sulphidic mining waste material in ceramic roof tiles and blocks

“…In this case study, the consumption of primary raw materials (clay) was reduced and the energy consumption during firing decreased due to the lower lime content of the mining waste. Moreover, mining waste (spodumene, LiAlSi 2 O 6 , ore tailings) integration in low-temperature ceramic bricks have shown compliance with product specifications (Lemougna et al, 2019a), promising sintering results as well as compliance with environmental regulations (Lemougna et al, 2019b). Mining tailings from Ag-Au exploitation have been used as feldspar substitutes to manufacture ceramic bricks, giving similar or better technical properties to that of a conventional brick (Salinas-Rodríguez et al, 2017).…”

The Influence of Sintering Temperature on the Pore Structure of an Alkali-Activated Kaolin-Based Geopolymer Ceramic

“…The dense heated geopolymer has a glassy phase, making it a ceramic. Traditionally, ceramic vitrification begins at 900 °C, marked by the melting of several solid phases that bind present solid particles, enhancing bonding strength [ 3 , 4 ]. The solid reaction product usually consists of an open-pore volume fraction that was reported to be ~<1–40% [ 5 ].…”