PRODUCTION OF FOAMED HEAT INSULATION MATERIALS FROM COPPER ORE MILL TAILINGS

Abstract

This paper focuses on ecological and environmental management problems involving the industrial wastes. The paper proposes the production method for foamed materials on made from copper ore tailings. The goal of the study is to evaluate the industrial waste applications in the production of heat-insulating materials. The chemical composition of wastes and its high dispersion indicates to its potential use in the frit synthesis without complete melting of the mixture. Frit is synthesized from a two-component blend consisting of 80 % waste and 20 % caustic ash. The synthesis temperature does not exceed 900 °С which is a better alternative to the conventional glassmaking temperature of 1500 °С. It is shown that the optimum porous, uniform structure with the average pore size is not over 1 mm forms in samples prepared at a foaming temperature of 850 °С followed by a 10-minute curing. The resulting materials has a density of 250 kg/m3 and increased strength up to 1.7 MPa.