DESIGN AND PRODUCTION OF A NEW CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL (BRICKS), USING MINING TAILINGS

In the present work, tailings from mining and metallurgical activities in the mining district of Pachuca – Real del Monte were characterized to determine the mineral phases present, the chemical analysis and its granulometric characteristics, seeking for an alternative use of this material. The principal results found pointed that these mining tailing are principally composed of silicates, sulfates and carbonates, as majority phases. Then this material was used to produce construction materials (bricks) with some properties quite similar or even higher to those presented by commercial materials. The most important properties found were related to values such as compression resistance showing results ranging from 0.3 to 41.5 kg/cm2 , the absorption was from 1.86 to 23.4 %, permeability from 8.7 x 10-5 to 2.67 x 10-4 cm3 /s and volumetric weight was from 1296 to 2116.4 kg/cm3 . These last values were also treated in a simple correlation of couples of these variables to elaborate a model statistics of multiple correlations of these variables, with adequate results that fit well with the proposed model. Finally, the comparison and dependence of compression resistance and permeability was analyzed with such model in a computer program getting good results.