Mortars for laying and coating produced with iron ore tailings from tailing dams.

Abstract

Aiming to mitigate the environmental impact of the iron mining industry, this paper evaluates the technical feasibility of using iron ore tailings from tailing dams (IOT) as construction material, for mortars for laying and coating. Three mixtures were produced: conventional mortars, mortars with complete replacement of natural aggregate by IOT, and mortars replacing lime by IOT in proportions from 10% to 100%. IOT and mortars were characterised. Mortars with IOT showed increased bulk density, reduced levels of incorporated air, an increment in the amount of mixing water, and improved mechanical properties when compared with conventional ones.