ArticleScientific reports2026
Sustainable valorization of copper mine waste into construction materials by alkali activation.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mechanochemically Activated Ternary Modifier Based on Technogenic Mineral Waste for High-Performance Concrete.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Environmental Performance of 3D-Formed Recycled Fiber-Reinforced Foamed Concrete: Leaching, Thermal Stability, and Microbiological Assessment.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Mechanical and environmental performance of engineered earthen walls reinforced with waste carpet fibers.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Recycling waste concrete into alkali-activated geo-binders for sand stabilization.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Sustainable stabilization of sandy soil using alkali-activated construction waste binders.Scientific reports · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Large volumes of copper mine waste (CMW) are stockpiled worldwide, posing long-term environmental risks but also offering a potential aluminosilicate resource for low-CO₂ binders. Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) provide a promising route to valorize such wastes, yet most previous studies have used copper tailings blended with Portland cement or supplementary precursors, and the performance of binders produced solely from CMW remains insufficiently explored. This study investigates the alkali activation of CMW from the Sarcheshmeh copper mine in Iran, used as the sole aluminosilicate precursor. Cylindrical specimens (38 × 76 mm) were prepared by mixing the dry waste with 10 M NaOH, 2.5 M Na₂SiO₃, and their blends at dosages up to 10 wt.% of CMW, and cured at 25 °C for 7 and 28 days. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS), secant modulus, freeze-thaw durability (up to 12 cycles), leaching behavior (pH, EC, TDS, ICP-OES), and microstructure (FE-SEM/EDS) were evaluated. Na₂SiO₃ activation produced the highest UCS, reaching 16.5 MPa at 28 days, more than twice that of NaOH-activated mixtures. Freeze-thaw cycling caused a moderate strength loss of ~ 23% after 12 cycles, while leaching tests showed near-neutral pH (6.97-7.11), low ionic release (79-185 µS/cm; 53-116 mg/L), substantially reduced heavy metals concentrations, indicating effective immobilization within dense N-A-S-H/C-A-S-H/ N-Fe-A-S-H gels. The results demonstrate that CMW can be transformed into a mechanically robust, chemically stable alkali-activated binder without any supplementary materials, providing a viable route for sustainable valorization of copper mine tailings within a circular economy framework.
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