Preparation of high-activity mineral powder from coal gangue through thermal and chemical activation

Wuju Zhang; Hailin Long; Deqing Zhu; Jian Pan; Siwei Li; Zhengqi Guo

doi:10.1515/ijcre-2024-0183

Article

Preparation of high-activity mineral powder from coal gangue through thermal and chemical activation

Wuju Zhang , Hailin Long , Deqing Zhu , Jian Pan , Siwei Li and Zhengqi Guo

Published/Copyright: December 10, 2024

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From the journal International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering Volume 22 Issue 12

Abstract

This study focuses on enhancing the cementitious activity of coal gangue through a two-step process involving thermal activation followed by chemical alkali excitation. The coal gangue was first treated via a self-heating sintering decarbonization process, which effectively increased its reactivity without the need for additional solid fuel. Following thermal activation, chemical activation was performed using activators such as hydrated lime and lithium silicate to further improve the reactivity of the decarbonized coal gangue. The effectiveness of combining ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) with the activated coal gangue was also evaluated. Results revealed that incorporating 35–45 % GGBS with activated coal gangue significantly enhanced both early and long-term strength, achieving an activity index exceeding 100 % under optimal conditions. The addition of 5 % hydrated lime significantly increased the 28-day activity index of the mineral powder to 82.7 %. Optimization experiments showed that reducing the content of decarbonized coal gangue and fine-tuning the proportions of activators further enhanced the overall activity index, reaching up to 103.7 %. This study provides a comprehensive approach to improving the resource utilization of coal gangue through integrated thermal and chemical activation, paving the way for its application in sustainable construction materials.

Keywords: decarbonized coal gangue; high-activity mineral powder; decarbonization thermal treatment; activity activation; resource utilization

Corresponding authors: Hailin Long and Deqing Zhu, A School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083 Hunan, P.R. China, E-mail: hailinlong@csu.edu.cn (H. Long), dqzhu@csu.edu.cn (D. Zhu)

Funding source: China Baowu Low Carbon Metallurgy Innovation Foundation

Award Identifier / Grant number: BWLCF202216

Funding source: the Natural Science Foundation China

Award Identifier / Grant number: 52274343

Award Identifier / Grant number: 52404356

Funding source: China Baowu Low Carbon Metallurgy Innovation Foundation

Award Identifier / Grant number: BWLCF202102

Research ethics: Not applicable.
Informed consent: Not applicable.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. Wuju Zhang and Hailin Long conceived the study. Wuju Zhang, Jian Pan, and Siwei Li carried out the experiments. Zhengqi Guo. and Deqing Zhu. contributed to data analysis and interpretation. All authors reviewed and contributed to the final manuscript.
Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: The study did not use large language models, AI, or machine learning tools in any part of the research or writing process.
Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Research funding: This research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation China (NO.52274343, NO.52404356) and the China Baowu Low Carbon Metallurgy Innovation Foundation (BWLCF202102, BWLCF202216).
Data availability: Data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Received: 2024-09-07

Accepted: 2024-11-23

Published Online: 2024-12-10

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijcre-2024-0183

Keywords for this article

decarbonized coal gangue; high-activity mineral powder; decarbonization thermal treatment; activity activation; resource utilization