Sustainable porous-insulation concrete (SPIC) material: recycling aggregates from mine solid waste, white waste and construction waste

• Published in: Journal of Materials Research and Technology
• Main Authors: Haoxuan Yu, Izni Zahidi, Dongfang Liang
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2023
• Subjects: Environmental management; Sustainable materials; Composite materials; Waste recycle; Mining engineering. Metallurgy; TN1-997; permafrost
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.02.181; https://doaj.org/article/1896b9bcd5414ee1a8ecb1629c2252bc

This study developed a sustainable concrete material called Sustainable Porous-Insulation Concrete (SPIC), using mine solid waste (tailings), construction waste (waste perlite particles), and white waste (EPS granules) as aggregates. Through thermal conductivity and compression strength experiments, micro-structure analysis, and toxic leaching experiments, it was found that SPIC has both excellent thermal insulation and good strength, making it a cost-effective and eco-friendly material. Potential applications of SPIC include thermal (acoustic) walls in buildings, insulated road foundations in permafrost areas, and backfill mining. Noteworthy, in the discussion section, we addressed the potential environmental impact of mine solid waste and highlighted the importance of its reuse. To facilitate the reuse of mine solid waste, we proposed a classification framework for mine solid waste based on the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC). This framework provides a standardized approach for classifying mine solid waste based on its potential for reuse, which can help to promote sustainable and responsible resource management in the mining industry.