Valorisation of alumino-silicate stone muds: From wastes to source materials for innovative alkali-activated materials

Impressive amounts of wastes are produced yearly by extraction and transformation of natural stones. This work addresses the finest fraction of these wastes, named stone muds, and particularly those with a siliceous composition. The disposal in dump of these muds implies high costs, whereas their surface landing poses serious challenges, since they can damage the environment, create necrotic conditions for flora and fauna, and endanger human health. Therefore, the reemployment of these wastes is today an urgent need. In this work, a mud (QM) composed by quartz, feldspars, biotite and dolomite, is used for producing dense and foamed alkali-activated materials through an innovative and simple process, in which a mixture of mud and alkaline solution (plus foaming agent, when needed) is produced, cast in moulds and cured at 80 °C for 48 h. Another mineral powder (SRM), having a similar composition but carbonates-free, was also used, to prove the key role of alumino-silicates in producing dense alkali-activated materials, with excellent mechanical properties. Also, the foamed samples showed good mechanical properties, plus low thermal conductivity. These results demonstrate that alumino-silicate wastes could serve as source materials for producing materials suitable to be used for dense and cellular building elements, providing an effective alternative to mud disposal and related issues.