Development of sustainable compositions and study of the properties of porous aggregates from the waste of a mining and processing plants

In connection with the growing need for saving natural resources used in aggregates for concrete, the importance of lightweight structural aggregates obtained from production waste is continuously increasing. Lightweight structural concretes on porous aggregates can significantly reduce own weight of structures, make it possible to manufacture larger structures, reduce transport costs, and improve the thermal insulation and acoustic properties of enclosing structures. The use of waste from the mining and metallurgical industry to produce construction materials significantly reduces environmental pollution. The article is devoted to studying the possibility of using wastes from the mining and processing industry of enterprises of the Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin to produce lightweight porous aggregate. The paper presents the results of studies of the effect of the charge's granulometric composition, the quantitative content of the raw mix components, and the temperature of heat treatment on aggregate quality. The most suitable raw material mixture for artificial aggregate has been determined. The results of X-ray diffraction thermographic analysis of raw granules are presented. The influence of technological factors on the aggregate density and strength has been studied using mathematical modeling. The obtained equations made it possible to reveal the regularities of the raw mixture's components and temperature for the optimal aggregate density and strength. The results of studying the structure and porosity of the developed aggregate are presented. The results of X-ray thermographic analysis of the aggregate explain the mechanism of pore formation in the pellets. The basic physical and mechanical properties of the obtained aggregate are investigated, particularly attention pairing to the study of the aggregate’s contact zone with the cement stone