Page 47 - New Trends in Green Construction

STUDY OF VITRIFICATION OF HIGHLY POLLUTED MINE BY-PRODUCTS INSIDE CERAMICS MATERIALS
Juan María Terrones Saeta, Jorge Suárez Macías. Francisco J. Iglesias Godino. Francisco A. Corpas Iglesias
Keywords: tailings dyke, vitrification, ceramics, lixiviation, mine by-products. 1. Introduction.
The mining industry produces a series of by-products of low commercial value which are discarded during the process of concentration of ores. These by-products include the so-called tailings dyke, large deposits of small granulometry materials, that produce an important visual impact, as well as negative effects on the environment due to possible dragging of contaminants in runoff, since, in most cases they still contain chemical elements from the ore and other truly contaminants.
In this paper, vitrification of these industrial by-products inside ceramics matrix will be studied; achieving with this method to retain the possible lixiviation of the polluting elements and getting a material with commercial value and the same qualities as traditional ceramics. The studied by- products belong to tailings dyke from the old lead extraction Factory of San Roque, which is located in the mining district of Linares-La Carolina.
For this purpose, the lixiviation of the unaltered by-product will be studied firstly, paying attention to the chemical elements such as iron, gallium, manganese, chromium, nickel, etc., and subsequently the presence of them in the lixiviation of the different ceramics materials conformed to increasing percentage of this by-product, being able to faithfully determine its influence on possible runoff waters. At the same time, mechanical and colorimetric tests will be conducted to determine the optimal percentage addition of by-product that makes possible the creation of a ceramic material with similar characteristics to the commercial ones.
2. Materials and methods.
As stated above, the main materials used for the present work, come from the mining district of Linares- La Carolina, specifically, from the tailings dyke of the mine called ‘San Roque’. At the same time, clay materials will be studied from the vicinity of the district of Linares, base material for the traditional ceramic industry in the area.
Therefore, once the materials and the relevant tests have been described, the methodology to be followed will be detailed in a more specific manner:
- Physical and chemical characterization of the materials in the tailings dyke of the mine called ‘San Roque’, from the mining district of Linares- La Carolina
- Studies of the lixiviation from the specified industrial by-products and its possible effect on runoff water in the environment.
- Physical and chemical characterization of the clay from the district of Linares and its use
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New Trends in Green Construction