The use of red mud and kaolin waste in the production of a new building material: Pozzolanic pigment for colored concrete and mortar

ABSTRACT The state of Para is one of the greatest producers of mineral substances in Brazil. Kaolin for paper coating industry and bauxite for alumina and aluminium production are amongst the most important commodities. The latter is responsible for the generation of red mud, a well-known residue from Bayer process. The kaolin processing plants are also responsible for the generation of large amounts of wastes, in this case, very fine-grained kaolinite (white mud). The research aimed to find a final destination for such residues by developing new building materials. The proposed material is a pozzolanic pigment produced through calcination and grinding of mixtures of red mud and kaolin waste. The pozzolanic pigments provided increased mechanical strength and color stability of the colored mortars relative to the inert pigment. The pozzolanic characteristics of the pigments reduced the leaching of the mortars. The new material has proven to be promising in its application as an innovative construction material, with the possibility of using these residues in a market that is little explored in Brazilian civil construction: colored mortars and concrete.