Abstract
The unexpected closure of the mine processing area of Lefke-Xeros generated the largest environmental disaster in the recent history of Northern Cyprus. The mining area, formed the biggest industry on the island in 1950s, was unpredictably closed and left all mine tailings and equipment behind without any preservation towards the environmental remediation nor sustainable rehabilitation for the locality. Substantial increase in the cost of energy supply, determination to decrease CO2 emissions and to reduce the consumption of natural materials on the other hand, are the major challenges in construction practice. The paper is investigating the consequences of dewatering by means of recycling copper mine tailings in mortars both for the sustainable development of construction materials and for the socio-economic recovery of Lefke-Xeros area of Cyprus. The degree of dewatering as a consequence of the substrate/mortar interaction on the mechanical and physical properties of cement and lime mortars containing copper tailings are reported in the paper. Physical measurements provided an insight into the actual effect of dewatering on the resistance of freezing and thawing action of mortars containing copper tailings. The use of copper tailings and therefore the degree of dewatering have shown to play a substantial role in the decrease in thermal conductivity and increase in cost efficiency of these mortars in construction practice. The results reported in this paper significantly contribute in the sustainable development of construction materials through the use of mine tailings to support environmental sustainability and socio-economic development of Lefke-Xeros area of Cyprus.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 121070 |
Journal | Construction and Building Materials |
Volume | 268 |
Early online date | 10 Oct 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 31 Jan 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
Funding
This research is supported by the Scientific Research Project, Middle East Technical University , Northern Cyprus Campus. Authors acknowledge the services of the Central Laboratory of Middle East Technical University . Funding: This study was funded by Scientific Research Projects, Middle East Technical University , Northern Cyprus Campus (award number FEN-16-YG-11 ).
Keywords
- Copper mine tailings
- Cost efficiency
- Dewatering
- Mechanical and physical properties
- Reusing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Building and Construction
- General Materials Science