Experimental use artifical sand from mines waste rocks combined with fly ash of thermal power plant in concrete manufacuring for construction and development of circulating economy

Abstract

The demand for energy to support construction and economic development has continuously driven an increase in mineral extraction. Along with this, the volume of waste generated has also risen, leading to serious environmental issues. In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, promoting the development of a circular economy (CE) and a green economy with reduced greenhouse gas emissions has become a global trend in sustainable development, including in Vietnam. Therefore, in the mining process, instead of considering mine waste rock as a byproduct that needs disposal, efforts should be made to recycle and reuse this waste. Utilizing mine waste rock for building material production can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through several mechanisms, such as minimizing natural resource extraction, saving energy in production, reducing emissions from waste treatment, lowering emissions from transportation, and enhancing resource efficiency to create new economic value.This paper synthesizes theoretical foundations and previous research results on the use of mine waste rock in construction material production. It also presents experimental results on manufacturing concrete samples using artificial sand (made from mine waste rock) and fly ash from thermal power plants. The compressive strength test results after 28 days indicate that the concrete achieved a compressive strength of over 55.6 MPa, a bulk density of 2.37 kg/m³, a slump of 12 cm, and a homogeneous concrete structure. These research findings highlight the great potential of using mine waste rock to produce construction materials, reducing environmental waste and contributing to sustainable development goals.