Background:
Iron tailing causes great environmental and social problems which contaminate water, air and soil.
Therefore, it is of important significance to prepare iron tailing ceramsites with microscale pores which can recycle the
deposited iron tailing.
Objective:
The aim of the research is to obtain iron tailing ceramsites with microscale pores and good mechanical
performance.
Methods:
The iron tailing ceramsites have been characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction
(XRD). Influence of the content of iron tailing, temperature and duration time on the mechanical performance of the obtained
ceramsites was performed and the optimal sintering parameter was determined. The bulk density, apparent density and
cylinder compressive strength of the obtained ceramsites increase obviously as improving the iron tailing content,
temperature and sintering time.
Results:
Duration time and sintering temperature play important roles in the formation and size of the pores of the
ceramsites. The optimal iron tailing content and sintering parameter are 70wt.%, 1100 ℃ for 40 min. The iron tailing
ceramsites mainly consist of orthorhombic CaAl2Si2O8, monoclinic CaSiO3, hexagonal Ca7Si2P2O16, triclinic MgSiO3,
triclinic Al2SiO5 and triclinic Ca2Fe2O5 phases. Iron tailing ceramsites from 1100 ℃ for 40 min are composed of irregular
particles with several hundreds of micrometers improving the density and strength of the ceramsites.
Conclusion:
Iron tailing ceramsites containing microscale pores were prepared using iron tailing and fly ash, and exhibit
excellent potential for the application in the field of construction.