What the review covers
Manaviparast and colleagues examine mine tailings as reactive precursors or fillers in alkali-activated materials, and the pretreatments used to increase reactivity.
What the authors found
High silica and alumina contents alone did not ensure reactivity. Crystalline minerals could remain largely unreactive. Reviewed mixtures combined tailings with materials such as slag, fly ash or metakaolin; composition, activator and curing conditions affected performance.
Processing limits
Mechanical, thermal and alkaline-fusion treatments can change reactivity, but the authors identify energy use, material variability and the availability of supplementary materials as practical constraints.
Further research proposed
They call for durability and long-term stability studies, life-cycle assessment and further work on activation and mixture performance.
Original publication
DOI: 10.3390/app14125127