What the review covers
Arbili and colleagues review more than 80 papers on iron tailings in concrete, focusing on fine-aggregate replacement, fresh properties, strength and durability.
What the authors found
Reported strength and workability changed with replacement level, particle properties and mixture conditions. The authors identify roughly 30–40% replacement as favourable in the studies they discuss; this is their review conclusion, not a tested mix for every tailing.
Scope of the carbon comparison
The emissions discussion includes both cement replacement and sand replacement. The larger reduction reported for cement substitution must be distinguished from the smaller change reported for sand substitution.
Further research proposed
The authors propose investigating treatments to improve flowability and evaluating concrete at elevated temperatures.
Original publication
DOI: 10.3390/ma15186236