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Investigation of the medium calcium based non-burnt brick made by red mud and fly ash: durability and hydration characteristics

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Abstract

Red mud is a type of highly alkaline waste residue produced in the process of alumina smelting by the Bayer process. Based on the idea of medium calcium content, solid wastes such as red mud and fly ash were used to prepare non-burnt bricks; and the mass ratio of CaO/SiO2 was selected in the range of 0.88–1.42. Mechanical properties and durability were investigated with a compressive strength test. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were used to characterize the hydration characteristic. The environmental performance was analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP). The results indicated that the mechanical properties and the durability were optimal when the mass ratio of CaO/SiO2 was 1.23. The hydration products were mostly C-S-H gel, ettringite, Na4Ca(Si10Al16)O32·12H2O and Ca3Al2(SiO4)(OH)8. They were responsible for the strength development, and the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio of 1.23 had the best polymerized structure. The results of an environmental performance test showed that the heavy metals in the raw materials were well-solidified in the brick. Therefore, this paper provides an effective solution for use of solid wastes in building material.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51574024), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (FRF-TP-18-005B1), and Technological Research and Development Programs of China Railways Corporation (No. 2017G006-J).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Ying-tang Xu & Xiao-ming Liu

  2. School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Ying-tang Xu, Bo Yang, Xiao-ming Liu, Shuai Gao & Dong-sheng Li

  3. School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Emile Mukiza

  4. Railway Engineering Research Institute, China Academy of Railway Sciences Corporation Limited, Beijing, 100081, China

    Hua-jian Li

  5. State Key Laboratory of High Speed Railway Track Technology, Beijing, 100081, China

    Hua-jian Li

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  1. Ying-tang Xu
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  2. Bo Yang
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  3. Xiao-ming Liu
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  4. Shuai Gao
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  5. Dong-sheng Li
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  6. Emile Mukiza
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  7. Hua-jian Li
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Correspondence to Xiao-ming Liu.

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Xu, Yt., Yang, B., Liu, Xm. et al. Investigation of the medium calcium based non-burnt brick made by red mud and fly ash: durability and hydration characteristics. Int J Miner Metall Mater 26, 983–991 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1814-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1814-9

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