Valorization of lead-zinc mine tailing waste through geopolymerization: Synthesis, mechanical, and microstructural properties.

Lead-zinc mine tailing waste can have significant environmental impacts due to its potential for releasing toxic elements into the surroundings and contaminating local soil and water. This paper focuses on the valorization of lead-zinc mine tailing waste through geopolymerization, a sustainable process that can transform waste into useful building materials. Geopolymer matrixes with various mixtures of mine tailing (0-100 wt%), fly ash (0-100 wt%), and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum (0, 5, and 10 wt%) were synthesized using different activators such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 5, 10 M) and sodium silicate (waterglass, 0, 12.

Arsenic(V) immobilization in fly ash and mine tailing-based geopolymers: Performance and mechanism insight.

Global mining activities produce thousands of millions of toxic-bearing mine tailing (MT) wastes each year. Storage of the mine tailings not only encroaches upon large areas of cropland but also arouses additional ecological and environmental risks. Herein we demonstrate that geopolymerization of a mixture of the toxic-bearing mine tailings and the coal fly ash (FA) can effectively immobilize exogenous arsenic (As) species in addition to inherent As from the raw materials.