Use of Mining Tailings or Their Sedimentation and Flotation Fractions in a Mixture with Soil to Produce Structural Ceramics

The ceramic materials industry has vast potential for use of waste from industrial processes, such as iron mining tailings. The aim of this study was to test technological use of tailings samples from the dam rupture of the Samarco S.A. Company in 2015 to produce structural ceramics. Sedimentation and flotation processes were used to improve their characteristics, analyzing their chemical and mineralogical composition and granulometry. We produced 48 samples with a mixture of soil and residues in proportions of 10, 20, and 30 wt%, with sintering at 950 °C. The results showed that co-processing of iron mining tailings can be considered viable for improving certain aspects of some technological properties. The maximum amount of residue used was 30 wt% for any of the fractions used, as above this concentration the specimens lose important characteristics.