title: 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 20 wt%); this cement showed the greatest compressive strength (64 MPa) and the lowest water absorption coefficient (0.4 g cm(-2) at 28 days). Since ilmenite mud is enriched in natural radionuclides, such as radium isotopes (2.0·10(3) Bq kg(-1)(228)Ra and 5.0·10(2) Bq kg(-1)(226)Ra), 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.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad de Huelva, Campus del Carmen, 21071 Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.forename: Manuel Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gázquez
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: García-Díaz
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Alguacil
authors.forename: Félix A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Juan Pedro
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bolívar
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D019245:Compressive Strength; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000191:economics; D004777:Environment; D007220:Industrial Waste; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011883:Radium / Q000032:analysis; D017640:Silicates / Q000032:analysis; D013455:Sulfur; D014025:Titanium / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D015040:Zirconium / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes; D011868:Radioisotopes; D017640:Silicates; C029232:ilmenite; C009495:titanium dioxide; C003784:zircon; D013455:Sulfur; D015040:Zirconium; D014025:Titanium; D007501:Iron; D011883:Radium
keywords: Ilmenite mud; Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM); Sulphur polymer cements; Titanium dioxide industry