Study of concrete containing washed copper slag

Copper slag is a by-product obtained during the matte smelting and refining of copper. Production of one ton of copper generates, approximately 2.2–3 tons copper slag. In the United States, the amount of copper slag produced is about four million tons, and in Japan, it is about two million tons per year Current options for management of copper slag include recycling, recovering of metal, production of value added products and disposal in slag dumps or stockpiles. Currently, copper slag has been widely used for abrasive tools, roofing granules, cutting tools, abrasive, tiles, glass, road-base construction, railroad ballast, asphalt pavements, cement and concrete industries. Another option of reusing copper slag is by using it as a partial replacement of concrete, it will be possible to reuse a waste by-product material beneficially. Large amounts of copper slag can be utilized by using it as fine and coarse aggregates in concrete because more than 75% volume of concrete is occupied by aggregates. The use of copper slag in cement and concrete provides potential environmental as well as economic benefits for all related industries, particularly in areas where a considerable amount of copper slag is produced. However, due to the process in smelting and refining of copper, there are variation in the mineral contents and elements in the copper slag from different sources or countries. Furthermore, the form of copper slag used in the previous researches did is unclear as in virgin or blasted copper slag. Virgin copper slag is the copper slag formed after refining and blasted copper slag is copper slag created after using virgin copper slag for blasting and abrasive purpose. Blasted copper slag has a different chemical composition and physical properties compared to virgin copper slag as sizes of blasted copper slag would be smaller and impurities from target of blasting changes the composition of the copper slag. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to discover how the various properties of washed copper slag change the usual properties of the concrete and the designed loads. At the same time, finding the optimum suitable amount of blasted and washed copper slag in concrete making without affecting the strengths of the concrete, that is at e same time ensure percentage of copper slag in concrete forming would take the variation in compounds in the copper slag into consideration, therefore making the end product render safe to use. Possible ways on improving the quality of the washed copper slag containing concrete would be suggested at the end of this project.Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering