Bulk utilization of industrial waste (bauxite residue) for production of red mud concrete

Abstract

The high-alkaline red coloured, dust-like industrial waste (bauxite residue) from allumina industry has already crossed the mark of 3 billion tonnes, globally. Every year about 120 million tonnes of bauxite residue is freshly disposed off into stock-piling yards. Bulk utilization of bauxite residue (red mud) has been, and continue to be a great challenge for all the stake-holders of the aliumaia industry. Concrete is the second largest consumable material in the world. Annual consumption of concrete and allied products is over 20 billion tonnes per annum, globally. Ever increasing demand of concrete for housing and infrastructure construction is posing a great threat to the environmental. In this paper, an attempt is made here, to utilize red mud as a partial substitute material for fine particles in concrete. For this, an experimental study is carried out by casting concrete cube moulds for 0%(control mix), 7%, 14%, 21%, 28% replacement of fine particles in concrete with red mud. It is found that red mud concrete, thus produced, gives better compressive strength to the concrete. Thus bulk utilization of red mud in concrete will reduce it’s content in stock-piling yards of allumina industries, It would also conserve natural materials to support sustainable development.