New buildings materials obtained by the recovery of mining waste and red mud from the manufacture of alumina

Abstract

In the current context of the transition to a circular economy, efforts are primarily focused on recycling, the reintegration of some wastes into the economy, as a secondary raw material. The recovery of wastes specific to the mining industry and the metallurgical industry, which through the quantities deposited and through the chemical composition put a great pressure on the environment, represents a major concern of the society. Starting from this aspect, the paper presents the results of the research carried out in order to obtain new building materials (mortars) by adding two mineral wastes - red sludge from the manufacture of alumina and mine tailings - in the basic raw material, cement. The performances of the new materials containing the two wastes prove the viability of the technical solutions so that they can be used in the field of construction, both as masonry mortars and as plastering mortars.