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Study on occurrence form and solidification mechanism of alkaline components in red mud

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Abstract

Red mud contains excessive Na+, which seriously damages acidity and alkalinity of surrounding soil and groundwater. Therefore, the occurrence form and the leaching characteristics of the alkaline components in red mud under different pH conditions were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ion chromatography and titration test, et al., and the solidification mechanism of the hydration products of red mud-based geo-polymer cementitious materials (RMC) and Na+ solidify agent, such as 732 H-type cation exchange resin, sodium humate, chitosan, and hydroxyapatite on the alkaline components, was explored through ICP-OES, XRD, SEM–EDS, et al. The results show that: (1) The alkaline components in the red mud are mainly Na components, and the soluble Na components are mainly in the form of NaHCO3 and Na2CO3, accounting for 8.87 wt%, 6.35 wt%. (2) With the increase of curing age, the leaching concentration of Na+ in RMC gradually decreases, and the solidify rate of Na+ gradually increases. When the curing age is 120 d, the solidify rate of Na+ tends to be stable, reaching 63.64%, which solidifies Na+ through self-cementation and adsorption. (3) The optimal Na+ solidify agents are chitosan with a content of 3%. When the curing age is 28 days, the solidify rate of Na+ reaches 73.76%. (4) The solidify rate of Na+ can be improved by forming adsorption chemical bonds through electron transfer, exchange, or coownership between Na+ and hydration products. The synergistic effect of the polymer gel and Na+ solidify agent improved the mechanics and the solidify rate of Na+ in RMC.

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Data and code availability

Some or all data, models, or code that supports the findings of this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Some data are openly available as part of a Master’s thesis, published openly by Shandong University.

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to acknowledge the Major Scientific and Technological Innovation Projects in Shandong Province (Grants Nos. 2020CXGC011405 and Grants Nos. 2021CXGC010301), the National Key R&D Program of China (Grants Nos. 2022YFB2601900), and the Key Projects of Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (No. 2020KE006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Research Center, Shandong University, No. 17923 Jingshi Road, Lixia, Jinan, 250061, Shandong, China

    Yifan Gao, Zhaofeng Li & Jian Zhang

  2. School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, No. 12550, East Second Ring Road, Jinan, 250061, Shandong, China

    Zhaofeng Li

  3. Innovation Research Institute, Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co., Ltd, No. 8, Longao North Road, Lixia, Jinan, 250098, Shandong, China

    Yifan Gao, Zhaofeng Li & Jian Zhang

  4. Highway Development Center, No. 6167, Dongfeng East Street, High Tech Zone, Weifang, 261061, Shandong, China

    Chen Zhang

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Gao, Y., Li, Z., Zhang, C. et al. Study on occurrence form and solidification mechanism of alkaline components in red mud. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 25, 3758–3775 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-023-01801-w

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