Development of a quantitative accelerated sulphate attack test for mine backfill

Mining operations produce large amounts of tailings that are either disposed of in surface impoundments or used in the production of backfill to be placed underground. Their mineralogy is determined by the local geology, and it is not uncommon to come across tailings with a relatively high sulphide mineral content, including pyrite and pyrrhotite. Sulphides oxidize in the presence of oxygen and water to produce sulphate and acidity. In the concrete industry, sulphate is known to produce detrimental effects by reacting with the cement paste to produce the minerals ettringite and gypsum. Because mine backfill uses tailings and binders---including cement---it is therefore prone to sulphate attack where the required conditions are met. Currently, laboratory tests on mine backfill mostly measure mechanical properties such as strength parameters, and the study of the chemical aspects is restricted to the impact of tailings on the environment. The potential of sulphate attack in mine backfill has not been studied at length, and no tests are conducted on binders used in backfill for their resistance to attack.;Combining the partial immersion technique with the dissolution of ettringite and gypsum in the organic solutions, a new quantitative accelerated test for sulphate attack was developed.;Current ASTM guidelines for sulphate attack tests have been deemed inadequate by several authors due to their measurement of only expansion as an indicator of attack. Furthermore, the tests take too long to perform or are restricted to cement mortars only, and not to mixed binders that include pozzolans. Based on these, an accelerated test for sulphate attack was developed in this work through modifying and compiling procedures that had been suggested by different authors. Small cubes of two different binders were fully immersed in daily-monitored sodium sulphate and sulphuric acid solutions for a total of 28 days, after 7 days of accelerated curing at 50ºC. In addition, four binders were partially immersed in the same solutions for 8 days for an accelerated attack process. The two procedures were conducted in tandem with leach tests using a mixed solution of ethylene glycol and methanol solution, which enabled the quantification of ettringite and gypsum that had formed due to the attack.