Utilisation of Mine Waste in the Construction Industry-A Critical Review

The exploitation of mineral resources would promote the development of economy and society, but it will also generate massive waste/tailings that may pollute the environment significantly (in the form of spreading of waste in and around the mines, siltation of soil/slimes in nearby water bodies, air pollution etc.) Therefore, developing comprehensive utilization of waste fines/tailings in large scale is the need of the day in order to improve the surroundings and for sustainable development of resources. Manufacturing of non-fired bricks is one of the options for utilization of waste generated in mines along with reduction of CO₂ emission. If the waste material is improperly dumped in mine site, the flow of material during rainy season may reduce the fertility of nearby agricultural land. Hence, waste utilization plays a vital role in natural resource conservation. Further, building blocks/bricks from mine waste is eco-friendly as it utilizes waste and reduces air, land and water pollution. It is energy efficient and also cost effective as reported by various investigators in the past. Hence, it is very much necessary to find alternative for making use of iron ore waste material (fines)/tailings as an aggregate in construction materials like bricks or paving blocks. This paper provides a critical review of the utilization of mine waste for brick making in the construction industry.