@inproceedings{895973a65ae0489b8e1956c9712582d7,
title = "Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings",
abstract = "Acidic gold mine tailings were alkaline activated using KOH. The effect of potassium aluminate (KA) on the strength and durability of the geopolymers was investigated. A 2.8 KA:KOH geopolymer had a UCS of 18.10 MPa after curing for 5 days at 100 °C. There was an increase in UCS with an increase in loading of KA up to a ratio of 2.8. Beyond the KA:KOH ratio of 2.8, there was a 48% drop in UCS due to excess K+ ions in the system which resulted in the loss of charge balance of the system leading to reduction of UCS. It is worth mentioning that the KA:KOH ratio of 2.8 represented a Si/Al ratio of 1.02. This study showed that KA activation of acidic gold mine tailings is an attractive route to stabilise/solidify hazardous tailing material. Though there is use of elevated temperature to achieve high strength for the KA based geopolymer, this pales in comparison to energy requirements of cement manufacturing and clay brick firing.",
keywords = "Alkaline activation, Durability, Geopolymers, Gold mine tailings, Toxicity leaching characteristic procedure",
author = "Okonta, {Felix Ndubisi} and Thabo Falayi and Freeman Ntuli",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.; 5th GeoChina International Conference on Civil Infrastructures Confronting Severe Weathers and Climate Changes: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018 ; Conference date: 23-07-2018 Through 25-07-2018",
year = "2019",
doi = "10.1007/978-3-319-95771-5_21",
language = "English",
isbn = "9783319957708",
series = "Sustainable Civil Infrastructures",
publisher = "Springer Science and Business Media B.V.",
pages = "270--275",
editor = "Hadi Khabbaz and Heejung Youn and Mounir Bouassida",
booktitle = "New Prospects in Geotechnical Engineering Aspects of Civil Infrastructures - Proceedings of the 5th GeoChina International Conference 2018 – Civil Infrastructures Confronting Severe Weathers and Climate Changes",
address = "Germany",
}