Lokesha Eshwarayya Bolluru, Aruna Mangalpady, Reddy Sandi Kumar
Dept. of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Surathkal, Dakshina Kannada, 575025, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 8;15(1):12051. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-97056-6.
The Gold Ore Tailings (GOTs) are one of the major waste materials in the mining sector. The disposal of these tailings could be a problem for human health and a major environmental concern for several years. In this research work, the GOTs were used as an alternative material to the River Sand (RS) in the production of Geopolymer Concrete (GPC). Thus developed GPC samples were tested for its durability characteristics, such as resistance to sulphates and chlorides. The sulphate attack test was conducted by immersing the Conventional Concrete (CC) and GPC samples in 5% Magnesium Sulphate (MgSO) solution for various curing periods. In this test, the GPC samples showed a reduction in compressive strength and weight, which is slightly more when compared to CC samples. The Rapid Chloride Penetration Test (RCPT) was also conducted to know the chloride ion penetration in which GPC samples exhibited less chloride penetration when compared to CC samples. Further, the Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) analysis showed that the GOTs have very high concentrations of hazardous metals. However, the concentration of Cyanide (CN) was minimal in GOTs. In this regard, geopolymerization would be a better method for immobilizing the hazardous metals in GOTs.
金矿尾矿（GOTs）是采矿业的主要废料之一。这些尾矿的处置可能对人类健康构成问题，并在数年里成为一个主要的环境问题。在这项研究工作中，金矿尾矿被用作地聚合物混凝土（GPC）生产中河砂（RS）的替代材料。如此制成的GPC样品进行了耐久性特性测试，如抗硫酸盐和抗氯化物性能。通过将普通混凝土（CC）和GPC样品在5%硫酸镁（MgSO）溶液中浸泡不同养护期来进行硫酸盐侵蚀试验。在该试验中，GPC样品的抗压强度和重量有所降低，与CC样品相比，降低幅度稍大。还进行了快速氯离子渗透试验（RCPT）以了解氯离子渗透情况，结果显示与CC样品相比，GPC样品的氯离子渗透较少。此外，毒性特性浸出程序（TCLP）分析表明，金矿尾矿中有害金属的浓度非常高。然而，金矿尾矿中氰化物（CN）的浓度极低。在这方面，地聚合作用将是固定金矿尾矿中有害金属的一种更好方法。
