Mechanical Properties of Copper Tailings Cemented Paste Backfill Incorporating Thermally and Mechanically Treated Saudi Natural Pozzolan

Abstract

Cemented Paste Backfill (CPB) is a technique that utilizes mine tailings, mining-process water, and a binder, typically Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), to backfill the opening created in underground mining. However, the use of cement in CPB increases operational costs and has adverse environmental effects. To mitigate these effects, eco-friendly natural pozzolan can be used as a partial replacement for OPC, thereby reducing its consumption and environmental impact. The volcanic region of western Saudi Arabia contains extensive deposits of Saudi natural pozzolan (SNP), which is a promising candidate for this purpose. This study evaluates the mechanical performance of CPB under four scenarios: a control mixture (CTRL), a mixture with untreated SNP (UT), and mixtures with activated SNP, specifically heat-treated (HT) and mechanically treated (MT). Each scenario was tested at replacement levels of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of OPC. The performance was assessed using Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) with Elastic Modulus (E), Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV), and Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS/Brazilian) tests. The results indicate that the HT scenario at a 5% replacement level delivered the highest performance, slightly outperforming the MT scenario. Both activated scenarios (HT and MT) significantly surpassed the untreated mixture (UT). Overall, the HT scenario proved to be the most effective among all CPB mixtures tested. XRD diffractogram analysis supported HT as the material with the highest strength performance due to the occurrence of more strength phases than other CPB materials, including Alite, Quartz, and Calcite. While UCS and UPV showed a positive correlation across all CPB materials, the relationship between UPV and the modulus of elasticity (E) demonstrated a low correlation. The findings suggest that using activated SNP materials can enhance CPB sustainability by lowering cement demand, stabilizing operating costs, and reducing environmental impacts.