Utilization of tailings in cement and concrete: A review

One of the advantages of cement and the cement concrete industry in sustainability is the ability to utilize large amounts of industrial solid wastes such as fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag. Tailings are solid wastes of the ore beneficiation process in the extractive industry and are available in huge amounts in some countries. This paper reviews the potential utilization of tailings as a replacement for fine aggregates, as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in mortar or concrete, and in the production of cement clinker. It was shown in previous research that while tailings had been used as a replacement for both fine aggregate and cement, the workability of mortar or concrete reduced. Also, at a constant water to cement ratio, the compressive strength of concrete increased with the tailings as fine aggregate. However, the compressive strength of concrete decreased as the replacement content of the tailings as SCMs increased, even when tailings were ground into smaller particles. Not much research has been dedicated to the durability of concrete with tailings, but it is beneficial for heavy metals in tailings to stabilize/solidify in concrete. The clinker can be produced by using the tailings, even if the tailings have a low SiO2 content. As a result, the utilization of tailings in cement and concrete will be good for the environment both in the solid waste processing and virgin materials using in the construction industry.