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

• Main Authors: Yu, H, Zahidi, I, Liang, D
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier BV 2023
• Subjects: Environmental management; Sustainable materials; Composite materials; Waste recycle; permafrost
• Online Access: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/346958.2

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 foun-dations in permafrost areas, and backfill mining. Noteworthy, in the discussion section, we addressed the potential en-vironmental 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 Classifica-tion (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.