• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.21 no.9
• /
• pp.1059-1068
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study was to develope the environmentally favorable method of roller compacted soil concrete pavement using industrial waste red mud. Red mud was the major solid waste produced in the process of alumina extraction from bauxite(Bayer process). For recycling purpose, red mud was treated and applied to use as concrete admixtures. To this end, laboratory test such as compressive strength of soil concrete, and field test such as construction characteristics of soil concrete pavement, had been conducted. From the study results, the compressive strength of soil concrete was strongly related to its matrix proportion and compaction energy. The optimum mix proportion was comprised of cement 300 $kg/m^3$, water 110 $kg/m^3$, fine aggregate 600 $kg/m^3$, course aggregate 1400 $kg/m^3$, red mud admixture 50 $kg/m^3$ and compaction energy above 2.86 $cm-kgf/m^3$. The $7^{th}$-day and $28^{th}$-day mean compressive strength of soil concrete were 43.8 MPa and 53.3 MPa each under the optimum condition. Pavement application of soil concrete using red mud admixture indicated that the proposed method was simple in case of construction and showed a good surface texture.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
• /
• 2013.05a
• /
• pp.313-314
• /
• 2013

The study carried out the experiment with presenting as the fundamental data for developing non-cement by using red mud generated in blast furnace slag and bauxite generated in the process of manufacturing the pig iron process of manufacturing Al(OH)₃/Al₂O from as the binding material using the accelerator of NaOH. After fixing the thing and the NaOH adding the blast furnace slag and NaOH 10, 20, 30 (%) with 10, 20, 30 (%) substituted the red mud in the blast furnace slag and the experimental method carried out the experiment. And it measured the flexural strength and compressive strength and took a photograph EDS analysis and SEM. Consequently, the compressive strength was improved as the addition rate of the NaOH was high and the compressive strength according to the replacement ratio of the red mud was degraded. This is determined that film of the blast furnace slag is destroyed and it makes the hydration reaction condition and the intensity is revealed.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.3-12
• /
• 2023

Bauxite residues represent industrial wastes that have been accumulating over the past 120 years since the beginning of the alumina industry. They are typically classified as harmful substances owing to their strong alkalinity and salinity characteristics. These residues, with quantities steadily increasing by more than 150 million tons annually worldwide, are recycled into various industrial materials using dealkalization processing. This study investigates the generation process of alkaline substances in bauxite smelting and the recent techniques adopted for controlling their alkalinity. The properties of bauxite residues are known to vary depending on the raw mining and digestion methods. Thus, the dealkalization process must be selected considering the type of alkaline material, local environment, and infrastructure.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.63-68
• /
• 2012

In this study, aluminum hydroxide ($Al(OH)_3$) was synthesized by Bayer process and sodium contained in $Al(OH)_3$ was removed with the acid solution such as HCl and acetic acid for the synthesis of high purity alumina. The bauxite produced in Queensland of Australia was used for the production of alumina by Bayer, and was crushed to a particle size of below 10 um by attrition mill. The crushed bauxite was treated in sodium hydroxide solution of 5 N for the elution of aluminum component. The elution of aluminum from bauxite was carried out at $140^{\circ}C$ and 3.4 atm in autoclave. The sample solution was separated to the red mud and liquid solution by filter paper. The elution of aluminum from bauxite was confirmed with changing a structure and aluminum content in both bauxite and red mud analyzed by XRD and EDX. Aluminum contained in the separated solution was crystallized to $Al(OH)_3$ with the addition of aluminum hydroxide used as the seed material. $Al(OH)_3$ powder obtained during the crystallization process was purified by several times washing with distillated water. It was also confirmed that the sodium remained in $Al(OH)_3$ powder is removed with acid solution. The purity of $Al(OH)_3$ powder produced in this study was 99.3% and the content of sodium was reduced to approximately 0.009% after the acid treatment.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.31-41
• /
• 2011

The objectives of this study were to investigate the efficiencies of the stabilizers such as mono-potassium phosphate (MKP), phosphate fertilizer and red mud in treating the mine tailings contaminated with heavy metals and to characterize the changes in fractionations of the heavy metals during the stabilization. The TCLP results showed that the stabilization efficiencies of Cd, Pb and Zn increased with the increase in the stabilizer dosage and the reaction times. MKP showed the highest efficiencies for the heavy metals stabilization among the stabilizers tested. When the mine tailings were amended with MKP, the TCLP concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn were reduced by 79~97%, 61~84%, and 89~99%, respectively. When the composite stabilizers, MKP/phosphate fertilizer or MKP/red mud, were used, the stabilization efficiencies were lower than when MKP was used as a single stabilizer. The sequential extraction results showed that carbonates fraction of Cd and Zn increased generally. Especially, when red mud was used, carbonates fraction of Cd and Zn increased 5 and 18 times, respectively. In the case of Pb, the treatment with MKP increased residual fraction by 10 times. The results showed that MKP was the most effective in stabilizing the heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Zn) to improve the efficacy of the composite binders.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.146-148
• /
• 2003

Bayer 공정은 가성소다를 이용하여 보오크사이트로부터 수산화알루미늄을 추출하는 공정이다. 그러나 보오크사이트 추출 후 1차 침전공정에서 반응한 보오크사이트 잔사는 침전시킴으로써 깨끗한 공정액을 분리하는 데 이때 침전되지 못한 다량의 분산성 고형물이 공정액 중에 존재하게 되는데 이를 분산성 보오크사이트(레드머드) 미립자라하며 보통 80-100mg/$\ell$의 농도를 나타낸다. 그러므로 이를 제거하기 위해 다음 공정인 입상여과필터 공정을 사용하는데 이때 필터링 효율증대를 위해 보조제로써 다량의 소석회(Ca(OH)$_2$)를 투여하여 공정액 중의 고형물을 농도를 8-100mg/$\ell$에서 5mg/$\ell$로 낮추는 공정을 사용하고 있다. 특히 국내 수산화알루미능 제조회사일 KC(주)의 경우 소석회 사용량이 일 10톤, 년간 약 3,600톤을 사용함으로써 소석회의 사용량에 따라 같은 량의 슬러지가 발생되게 된다. 따라서 여과후 발생되는 슬러지의 처리비용 문제(연간 9천만원)와 소석회의 미립자에 의한 공정액의 2차 오염과 제품 품질 저하(quality claim) 및 소석회 사용량에 따른 연간 원료비(연간 3억원) 등의 상당한 문제점을 나타내고 있는 실정이다. 아울러 최근 고품위 수산화알루미늄의 공급 요구에 따라 여과시 정제기준이 점차 낮아져 이제는 1mg/$\ell$ 이하를 유지하여야 하는 근본적인 문제에 봉착해있는 실정이다. 그러므로 본 연구에서는 소석회를 사용하는 입상여과법을 대체하기 위한 신공정개발을 추진하였으며, 그동안 카트리지여과법 등의 다양한 실험 결과로부터 최근 필터 보조제를 첨가하지 않는 물리적 여과방법인 세라믹 막 여과법의 적용 가능성을 확인하고 친환경공정인 세라믹 막 여과 실용화 공정 기술을 개발하였다. 세라믹 막 여과 법은 여과 보조제를 사용하지 않으므로 2차적인 슬러지 발생등의 환경문제를 발생하지 않으며, 공정액에 첨가제를 투입하지 않으므로 순환형 친환경공정으로 각광받을 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 고온, 고농도의 NaOH 수용액의 처리에 적합한 막소재와 발생될 수 있는 제반 문제점 등을 파악하였고, 장기간의 실험을 거쳐 최적 투과 압력(Trans membrane pressue), 세정 조건 및 주기, 막재질에 있어서 보강하여야 할 Point, 최적 운전 조건들을 토출해 내었고, 향후 실제 Plant에 적용할 계획이다.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.65-73
• /
• 2021

Since the amount of red mud, generated from aluminum smelting process as a by-product, has increased worldwide, the recycle and metal resource recovery from the red mud is becoming more important. In this study, in order to recycle the red mud as a soil stabilizer to remediate arsenic contaminated soils, neutralization of red mud was investigated. Red mud was neutralized by washing with distilled water and NaCl, CaCl₂, FeCl₃, and HCl solutions and heating at 200-800℃, and arsenic stabilization characteristics in soils were evaluated with the neutralized red mud. Although washing with distilled water was not effective in neutralizing red mud, the application of the washed red mud to soils lowered the soil pH compared to the application of untreated red mud. Among NaCl, CaCl₂, FeCl₃, and HCl solutions, washing with FeCl₃ showed the most effective in lowering pH of the red mud from pH 10.73 to pH 4.26. Application of the neutralized red mud in soils resulted in quite different arsenic stabilization efficiency depending on soil samples. In M1 soil, which showed relatively high arsenic stabilization efficiency by untreated red mud, the neutralization of red mud resulted in little effect on arsenic stabilization in soil. On the other hand, in M2 soil, which showed low arsenic stabilization efficiency by untreated red mud, the neutralization of red mud increased arsenic stabilization significantly. Soil characteristics such as clay minerals and pH buffering capacity seemed to affect reactions between red mud and soils, which resulted in different effects of the red mud application on soil pH and arsenic stabilization efficiencies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.210-217
• /
• 2015

Fluoride removal by acid and heat treated red mud were studied in batch and column system regarding contact time, initial concentration, pH, adsorbent dose, and filter depth. The results showed that acid treated with 0.8 M HCl, had highest adsorption capacity of fluoride and adsorption capacity decreased as heat treatment temperature increased. Sorption equilibrium reached in 30 min at a initial concentration of 50 mg-F/L but 1 h was required to reach the sorption equilibrium at the initial concentration of 500 mg-F/L by 0.8 M acid treated red mud (0.8 M-ATRM). Equilibrium adsorption data were fitted well to Langmuir isotherm model with maximum fluoride adsorption capacity of 23.162 mg/g. The fluoride adsorption decreased as pH increased due to the fluoride competition for favorable adsorption site with $OH^-$ at higher pH. Removal percentage was increased but the amount of adsorption per unit mass decreased by adding the amount of 0.8 M-ATRM. It was concluded that the 0.8 M-ATRM could be used as a potential adsorbent for the fluoride removal from aqueous solutions because of its high fluoride adsorption capacity and low cost.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.217-233
• /
• 2014

Securing the radiological safety is a prerequisite for the safe management of the naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) which cannot be reused. This becomes a crucial focus of our R&D efforts upon the implementation of the Act on Protective Action Guidelines against Radiation in the Natural Environment. To secure the safety, the establishment of technical bases and procedures for securing radiological safety related to the disposal of NORM is required. Thus, it is necessary to analyze the characteristics, to collect the data, to have the radiological safety assessment methodologies and tools, to investigate disposal methods and facilities, and to study the effects of the input data on the safety for the NORM wastes. Here, we assess the environmental impact of the NORM waste disposal with respect to the major domestic and foreign NORM characteristics. The data associated with major industries are collected/analyzed and the status of disposal facilities and methodologies relevant to the NORM wastes is investigated. We also suggest the conceptual design concept of a landfill disposal facility and the management plan with respect to the major NORM wastes characteristics. The radionuclide pathways are identified for the atmospheric transport and leachate release and the environmental impact assessment methodology for the NORM waste disposal is established using a relevant code. The assessment and analysis on the exposure doses and excessive cancer risks for the NORM waste disposal are performed using the characteristics of the representative domestic NORM wastes including flying ash, phosphor gypsum, and redmud. The results show that the exposure dose and the excessive cancer risks are very low to consider any radiation effects. This study will contribute to development in the areas of the regulatory technology for securing radiological safety relevant to NORM waste disposal and to the implementation technology for the Act.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.134-144
• /
• 2024

In this study, the mechanical stability of red mud was improved for its commercial use as a catalyst to effectively decompose HFC-134a, one of the seven major greenhouse gases. Red mud is an industrial waste discharged from aluminum production, but it can be used for the decomposition of HFC-134a. Red mud can be manufactured into a catalyst via the crushing-preparative-compression molding-firing process, and it is possible to improve the catalyst performance and secure mechanical stability through calcination. In order to determine the optimal heat treatment conditions, pellet-shaped compressed red mud samples were calcined at 300, 600, 800 ℃ using a muffle furnace for 5 hours. The mechanical stability was confirmed by the weight loss rate before and after ultra-sonication after the catalyst was immersed in distilled water. The catalyst calcined at 800 ℃ (RM 800) was found to have the best mechanical stability as well as the most catalytic activity. The catalyst performance and durability tests that were performed for 100 hours using the RM 800 catalyst showed thatmore than 99% of 1 mol% HFC-134a was degraded at 650 ℃, and no degradation in catalytic activity was observed. XRD analysis showed tri-calcium aluminate and gehlenite crystalline phases, which enhance mechanical strength and catalytic activity due to the interaction of Ca, Si, and Al after heat treatment at 800 ℃. SEM/EDS analysis of the durability tested catalysts showed no losses in active substances or shape changes due to HFC-134a abasement. Through this research, it is expected that red mud can be commercialized as a catalyst for waste refrigerant treatment due to its high economic feasibility, high decomposition efficiency and mechanical stability.