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Valorisation of waste ilmenite mud in the manufacture of sulphur polymer cement

Abstract:

This paper reports the preparation of sulphur polymer cements (SPCs) incorporating waste ilmenite mud for use in concrete construction works. The ilmenite mud raw material and the mud-containing SPCs (IMC-SPCs) were characterised physico-chemically and radiologically. The optimal IMC-SPC mixture had a sulphur/mud ratio (w/w) of 1.05 (mud dose 20wt%); this cement showed the greatest compressive strength (64MPa) and the lowest water absorption coefficient (0.4gcm-2 at 28 days). Since ilmenite mud is enriched in natural radionuclides, such as radium isotopes (2.0·103Bqkg-1228Ra and 5.0·102Bqkg-1226Ra), the IMC-SPCs were subjected to leaching experiments, which showed their environmental impact to be negligible. The activity concentration indices for the different radionuclides in the IMC-SPCs containing 10% and 20% ilmenite mud met the demands of international standards for materials used in the construction of non-residential buildings. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.