Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings

Felix Ndubisi Okonta; Thabo Falayi; Freeman Ntuli

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-95771-5_21

Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

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.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	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
Subtitle of host publication	From Failure to Sustainability, 2018 in HangZhou, China
Editors	Hadi Khabbaz, Heejung Youn, Mounir Bouassida
Publisher	Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
Pages	270-275
Number of pages	6
ISBN (Print)	9783319957708
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95771-5_21
Publication status	Published - 2019
Event	5th GeoChina International Conference on Civil Infrastructures Confronting Severe Weathers and Climate Changes: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018 - HangZhou, China Duration: 23 Jul 2018 → 25 Jul 2018

Publication series

Name	Sustainable Civil Infrastructures
ISSN (Print)	2366-3405
ISSN (Electronic)	2366-3413

Conference

Conference	5th GeoChina International Conference on Civil Infrastructures Confronting Severe Weathers and Climate Changes: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018
Country/Territory	China
City	HangZhou
Period	23/07/18 → 25/07/18

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Keywords

Alkaline activation
Durability
Geopolymers
Gold mine tailings
Toxicity leaching characteristic procedure

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Civil and Structural Engineering
Computational Mechanics
Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
Environmental Engineering

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-319-95771-5_21

Cite this

Okonta, F. N., Falayi, T., & Ntuli, F. (2019). Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings. In H. Khabbaz, H. Youn, & M. Bouassida (Eds.), 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: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018 in HangZhou, China (pp. 270-275). (Sustainable Civil Infrastructures). Springer Science and Business Media B.V.. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95771-5_21

Okonta, Felix Ndubisi ; Falayi, Thabo ; Ntuli, Freeman. / Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings. 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: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018 in HangZhou, China. editor / Hadi Khabbaz ; Heejung Youn ; Mounir Bouassida. Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2019. pp. 270-275 (Sustainable Civil Infrastructures).

@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",

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editor = "Hadi Khabbaz and Heejung Youn and Mounir Bouassida",

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Okonta, FN , Falayi, T & Ntuli, F 2019, Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings. in H Khabbaz, H Youn & M Bouassida (eds), 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: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018 in HangZhou, China. Sustainable Civil Infrastructures, Springer Science and Business Media B.V., pp. 270-275, 5th GeoChina International Conference on Civil Infrastructures Confronting Severe Weathers and Climate Changes: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018, HangZhou, China, 23/07/18. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95771-5_21

Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings. / Okonta, Felix Ndubisi ; Falayi, Thabo ; Ntuli, Freeman.
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: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018 in HangZhou, China. ed. / Hadi Khabbaz; Heejung Youn; Mounir Bouassida. Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2019. p. 270-275 (Sustainable Civil Infrastructures).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings

AU - Okonta, Felix Ndubisi

AU - Falayi, Thabo

AU - Ntuli, Freeman

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Alkaline activation

KW - Durability

KW - Geopolymers

KW - Gold mine tailings

KW - Toxicity leaching characteristic procedure

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DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-95771-5_21

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:85101505611

SN - 9783319957708

T3 - Sustainable Civil Infrastructures

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BT - 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

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A2 - Youn, Heejung

A2 - Bouassida, Mounir

PB - Springer Science and Business Media B.V.

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Y2 - 23 July 2018 through 25 July 2018

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Okonta FN , Falayi T , Ntuli F. Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings. In Khabbaz H, Youn H, Bouassida M, editors, 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: From Failure to Sustainability, 2018 in HangZhou, China. Springer Science and Business Media B.V. 2019. p. 270-275. (Sustainable Civil Infrastructures). doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-95771-5_21

Potassium Aluminate Geopolymerisation of Acidic Gold Mine Tailings

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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