New advances in the resource utilization of tailings in environmental protection and building materials

With the green transformation of China’s mining industry, the resource utilization, reduction, and harmless treatment of tailings have become urgent technological challenges. The total amount of tailings storage has exceeded 20 billion tons, leading to severe environmental pollution and resource waste. To promote the efficient use of tailings in environmental protection and building materials, reduce the environmental and economic burdens of tailings treatment, and create innovative paths for tailings resource utilization, promote the construction of green mines, achieve a balance between sustainable resource utilization and environmental protection, and focus on the resource utilization of tailings in environmental protection and building materials, the development of key technologies for tailings-based environmental materials and high added value building materials has been carried out. These technologies include tailings decolorizing agents, heavy metal adsorbents, ceramic glazes, foamed ceramics, and high-density concrete. Firstly, tailings mixed with metakaolin, and surfactants are used to develop a highly efficient food wastewater decolorizing agent through an alkaline dissolution process, achieving over 95% decolorization efficiency. To address heavy metal pollution in wastewater, research has improved the adsorption capacity of tailings through high-temperature roasting and post-treatment processes, effectively removing heavy metals such as lead and cadmium from wastewater. Secondly, tailings are used as an alternative material for ceramic glazes, and low-cost, environmentally friendly ceramic glazes are developed by optimizing the formulation and firing processes. By optimizing the formulation and firing process of foamed ceramics, materials with excellent strength, thermal insulation, and fire resistance are successfully prepared, with up to 65% of the material composed of tailings, resulting in a 40%-50% cost savings on raw materials. Furthermore, by combining tailings with other mineral materials, a new type of high-density concrete is developed with enhanced corrosion resistance, low porosity, and increased strength by 5%-20%, water permeability coefficient is reduced by 10%-35%, making it suitable for harsh environments such as marine engineering. The resource utilization of tailings in environmental protection and building materials not only solves environmental problems but also provides an innovative technological path for green mining and sustainable development. The comprehensive utilization technology of tailings applies tailings resource utilization in multiple fields, including environmental protection （wastewater decolorization and heavy metal adsorption） and building materials （ceramic glazes, foamed ceramics, and high-density concrete）. By optimizing the formulation and processes of tailings, the environmental performance and properties of tailings are significantly improved, especially in areas such as food wastewater decolorization, heavy metal adsorption from wastewater, and the strength and thermal insulation of foamed ceramics. This approach creating new avenues for efficient utilization of tailings, enhancing their added value and providing feasible solutions for the environmental protection and building materials industries. It also promotes the construction of green mines and facilitates the sustainable use of mineral resources. By substituting traditional materials with tailings, production costs have been reduced and environmental performance has been improved, making the products highly competitive in the market, it contributes to the development of green mining and offers an innovative technological path for environmental protection and sustainable development.