Early properties and modeling of cemented superfine tailings backfill containing sodium dodecyl sulfate: Microstructure, mechanics, and acoustics

Effects of slag-based cementitious material on the mechanical behavior and microstructure evolution of copper-base cemented tailings backfill

“…Numerous studies have revealed that the curing age significantly affects the microstructure and morphology characteristics of the CTB Chen and Wu, 2013;Xu et al, 2020a;Xue et al, 2018;Zhao et al, 2023). In this work, a comparison of the microstructure matrix at different curing stages, namely, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days is presented in Fig.…”

“…The matrix contains numerous voids, displaying typical loose characteristics. Such behavior may lead to low early strength due to insufficient hydration reaction induction (Cao et al, 2019;Serge et al, 2007;Zhao et al, 2023). The ettringite diameter continues to coarsen and intertwines with C-S-H gel to form a robust mesh skeleton structure (Zhang et al, 2020b) and the cohesive bond strength among tailings particles (Tugrul et al, 2022) at the 7-day and 14-day curing stages (Fig.…”

“…Additionally, the chosen ordinary Portland cement (OPC) exhibits an inherent tendency towards elevated energy consumption and substantial greenhouse gas emissions (Qi and Fourie, 2019) during its production process, which is detrimental to the present requirements for China's low-carbon development strategy . More seriously, extensive years of practical experience in tailings filling have revealed significant constraints in expanding the applicability of OPC in fine-grained tailings filling (Yin et al, 2022;Zhao et al, 2023). For example, the substantial abundance of fine particles in the tailings gives rise to a meager concentration of filling slurry (Zhao et al, 2023), an augmented rate of slurry bleeding (Yang et al, 2018;Yin et al, 2022), and a poor consolidation performance (Qi and Fourie, 2019;Wang et al, 2022).…”

“…More seriously, extensive years of practical experience in tailings filling have revealed significant constraints in expanding the applicability of OPC in fine-grained tailings filling (Yin et al, 2022;Zhao et al, 2023). For example, the substantial abundance of fine particles in the tailings gives rise to a meager concentration of filling slurry (Zhao et al, 2023), an augmented rate of slurry bleeding (Yang et al, 2018;Yin et al, 2022), and a poor consolidation performance (Qi and Fourie, 2019;Wang et al, 2022). Hence, the exploration for a binder featuring reduced cement-to-tailings proportion, cost-effectiveness, elevated filling concentration, and superior UCS of the filling material, in lieu of OPC bears immense financial and societal merits concerning the attenuation of operational expenditure and the attainment of the notion of low-carbon filling.…”

Lithium Slag and Solid Waste-Based Binders for Cemented Lithium Mica Fine Tailings Backfill

“…However, the cost of cement accounts for approximately 70% of the total filling cost in cement-based filling mining and has become a key limiting factor [11,12]. Relevant studies have shown that cement has the disadvantages of poor cementation ability, low filling strength, and high hydration heat for fine-grained tailings [13,14]. Additionally, the production and use of cement in various industries result in significant carbon dioxide emissions, making it one of the largest global sources and impacting the environment [15,16].…”