Comparison of Physical Properties between Treated and Untreated Bauxite Residue Mud
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 19, Issue 1
Abstract
Dry stacking is an improved method of storing bauxite residue mud, a by-product of the Bayer process in the alumina industry. Stacking has the potential to increase the density and stability of the residue deposit, reducing the costs associated with the construction of impoundment areas. Minimizing the land area exposed to the residue mud also reduces the possibility of groundwater contamination. The stored residue is alkaline and carries the potential for environmental impacts over the long term. Carbonation is being evaluated at Alcoa World Alumina Australia’s (Alcoa’s) Kwinana Refinery in Western Australia, as a means of neutralizing residue alkalinity. This paper details the physical characteristics exhibited by bauxite residue following treatment with carbonation and/or the addition of bitterns. The impact of residue carbonation and bitterns addition on the initial drainage and drying behavior of bauxite residues was evaluated. The long term consolidation properties of the residues and the impact of these chemical treatments on the overall stability of the deposit was also determined.
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Acknowledgments
This project was commissioned by Alcoa World Alumina Australia. A number of Alcoa staff assisted with this project, including Brian Ellis, Tom Pope, John Smith, Don Jones, Robert Robless and Steve Gibbs. Staff at Kanga and Associates, particularly Kanga and Kane Bennett assisted in the performance of in situ testing, and Fotios Andronis assisted with the triaxial tests. Thanks must go to Dr. Ian Chandler and Dr. Kitty Drok for proofreading this paper and providing useful suggestions to clarify the information.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 19 • Issue 1 • January 2007
Pages: 2 - 9
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 11, 2005
Accepted: Jul 29, 2005
Published online: Jan 1, 2007
Published in print: Jan 2007
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Hilary I. Inyang
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