Use of mining waste in the construction of road pavements

ABSTRACT

Brazil stands out as one of the largest mineral producers in the world. However, this economically important activity also causes significant damage to the environment. The disposal of mining waste in dams gained great repercussions after the disasters in Mariana, in 2015, and Brumadinho, in 2019, that the need to find a new use for these materials arose. The main objective of the research was to evaluate the addition of iron ore waste to materials used in the base and sub-base layers of road pavements. The results of the mechanical tests demonstrated that it is technically feasible to introduce iron ore waste into the soil-cement mixtures used in the base and sub-base layers. It was found that a minimum of 6% cement in soil-cement mixtures for the base layer, and 5% and 4% for the sub-base layer, are sufficient for the addition of waste. This indicates that waste can be an excellent alternative to reduce cement consumption. This incorporation could reduce the consumption of natural resources, offer an alternative destination for mining waste and even reduce the costs of paving works. With this research, we seek an intelligent and sustainable solution to the impacts caused by mining tailings in Brazil.

Keywords
Iron ore tailings; Road pavement; Soil-cement