Open Access

ARTICLE

Preparation of Micro-Iron Ore Tailings by Wet-Grinding and Its Application in Sulphoaluminate Cement

Yingchun Yang^1,*, Liqing Chen¹, Xingdong Sun¹, Yuguang Mao²

1 College of Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
2 College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China

* Corresponding Author: Yingchun Yang. Email:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2022, 10(4), 1007-1023. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2022.017372

Received 06 May 2021; Accepted 21 June 2021; Issue published 02 November 2021

Abstract

Herein, micro iron ore tailings (micro-IOTs) were prepared by wet-grinding and applied to improve sulphoaluminate cement (SAC) performance. The physicochemical properties of micro-IOTs were investigated by particle size analysis, XRD, and XPS. The hydrates trait and the hydration mechanism of micro-IOTs-SAC composite were studied by XRD, TGA, MIP, and SEM. The results demonstrated that micro-IOTs with an average grain diameter of 517 nm could be obtained by wet-grinding. The setting time of SAC gradually decreased with increasing micro-IOTs content. By adding 2% micro-IOTs, the compressive strengths of SAC pastes were enhanced about 22% and 10% at 4 h and 28 d, respectively. Moreover, the addition of micro-IOTs accelerated ettringite precipitation and changed its morphology, resulting in early strength improvement of the binary system. And increased later strength by micro-IOTs was closely related to the high content of AH₃, fine pore structure, and high hydration degree of SAC. The findings suggested one new approach to utilize iron ore tailings in cement-based materials.

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Keywords

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