Reuse of iron ore tailings in the production of geopolymer mortars

Abstract A great variety of silica and alumina-rich materials have been investigated in the production of alkaline activated binders (or geopolymers) with low environment impact, e.g. low CO2 emissions. Geopolymer mortars and concretes may be more environmentally friendly if not only Portland cement but also natural aggregates (sand, gravel) are replaced with waste materials. This article presents results of geopolymers made with tailings from the iron mining industry. The geopolymer matrices are composed of metakaolin (MK) activated with a sodium silicate + sodium hydroxide solution. Two diff...