Recycling of Gangue Mineral (Pasa) and Its Use in Filled Concrete

Aggregate is one of the most important raw materials used in areas such as concrete production, asphalt industry and filling raw material. Most of the aggregates are produced in aggregate quarries, sand and gravel beds. The remaining aggregates consist of recycling of industrial wastes (10%), slag and ashes and debris (8%), marine and industrially produced aggregates (4%). The aggregate industry plays a key role in the functioning of the construction industry's supply chain. However, the fact that natural aggregates are being depleted day by day has led to other aggregate types. Eti Krom Inc. is the world's largest marketable hard lump chrome ore producer. Gangue minerals (pasa) are the rocks that are obtained by the extraction of chrome ore and contain worthless minerals. While some of the gangue minerals are returned to the mine, a large part of it creates a problem as worthless waste. In this study, it is aimed to use the gangue minerals, which is produced in mining activities in Eti Krom Plant, as an aggregate, in the filled concrete. Samples were prepared under laboratory and process conditions. The mechanical properties of the samples were analysed by water absorption, porosity, methylene blue and compressive strength tests. In addition, the characterization analyses of the samples were made with XRD, XRF and SEM/EDX analyses. As a result, it has been observed that the use of gangue minerals as aggregate in the filled concrete can be used as an alternative to natural aggregate.