Influence of mine tailings mineralogy and curing conditions in the cementation of pastes for mine galleries backfilling

IF 4.9 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Minerals Engineering Pub Date : 2025-06-19 DOI:10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109524

Antonio J. Diosdado-Aragón , Martin J. Valenzuela-Díaz , Jose Miguel Dávila , Mercedes Becerra-Herrera , Manuel A. Caraballo

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Mine Tailings (MTs) are typically used in combination with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and water to generate a paste to be used for mine galleries backfilling (MGBF). This technology has been optimized for several decades and it is well known that the final uniaxial compressive strengths (UCS) achieved by the paste mainly depend on the OPC concentration used in the paste formulation. However, there is still some controversy on the effect that the combined effect of MTs composition (i.e., bulk chemistry and mineralogy) and curing temperatures and times may have in the UCS achieved by the paste. On this regard, the present study implemented a comprehensive laboratory experiment and a statistical model to expose the possible antagonistic or synergetic effects of the combinations of these variates under realistic environmental and operational conditions at underground mines (i.e., MTs composition ranging from acidic to alkaline, and curing conditions ranging from room temperature to 60 °C and from 3 to 27 days). The initial chemical and mineralogical composition of the MTs does not have a significant impact on UCS. However, curing temperature is the main factor controlling the final UCS achieved by the paste, with all formulations reaching their maximum strength at 40 °C and most of them decreasing their UCS values both higher and lower temperatures. Additionally, it was observed that at 60 °C, acidic MTs exhibit lower UCS values compared to alkaline MTs. Consequently, paste formulation must be designed considering the real curing temperature at the specific gallery to be backfilling. At the same time, it is advisable to obtain drill cores from old galleries and shafts filled with paste as a measure to control UCS evolution with time. This work enhances the understanding of the interaction between OPC and MTs and provides practical recommendations for optimizing the cementation processes in underground mining operations.

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尾矿矿物学及养护条件对矿山回填膏体胶结的影响

矿山尾矿（MTs）通常与普通硅酸盐水泥（OPC）和水结合使用，形成用于矿山巷道回填（MGBF）的膏体。这项技术已经优化了几十年，众所周知，膏体的最终单轴抗压强度（UCS）主要取决于膏体配方中使用的OPC浓度。然而，对于MTs的组成（即体化学和矿物学）和固化温度和时间的综合效应对膏体所达到的UCS的影响仍然存在一些争议。在这方面，本研究实施了一项全面的实验室实验和统计模型，以揭示在地下矿山的实际环境和操作条件下（即MTs成分从酸性到碱性，固化条件从室温到60°C，从3到27天），这些变量组合可能产生的拮抗或协同效应。mt的初始化学和矿物学组成对UCS没有显著影响。然而，固化温度是控制膏体最终UCS的主要因素，所有配方在40°C时达到最大强度，并且大多数配方在较高和较低温度下其UCS值都会降低。此外，在60°C时，与碱性mt相比，酸性mt表现出更低的UCS值。因此，膏体配方的设计必须考虑到特定回填巷道的实际固化温度。同时，可采用旧巷道和竖井充填膏体获取岩心，作为控制UCS随时间演变的措施。这项工作增强了对OPC和MTs之间相互作用的理解，并为优化地下采矿作业中的胶结过程提供了实用建议。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Minerals Engineering 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

8.70

自引率

18.80%

发文量

519

审稿时长

81 days

期刊介绍： The purpose of the journal is to provide for the rapid publication of topical papers featuring the latest developments in the allied fields of mineral processing and extractive metallurgy. Its wide ranging coverage of research and practical (operating) topics includes physical separation methods, such as comminution, flotation concentration and dewatering, chemical methods such as bio-, hydro-, and electro-metallurgy, analytical techniques, process control, simulation and instrumentation, and mineralogical aspects of processing. Environmental issues, particularly those pertaining to sustainable development, will also be strongly covered.