Grant: Alliance Grants
The University of British Columbia
$110,000.00
Greening Concrete: Unearthing Sustainable Solutions from Mining Materials and Landfill Waste
FY 2024-25
Summary
Brenda Mine - a decommissioned copper-molybdenum mine managed by Glencore Canada Corporation in the Okanagan region currently holds 230 million tonnes of finely ground flotation tailings sand. The tailings sand, historically extracted from the ground represents an enormous volume of resources that could be used in the production of green concrete. In addition, 9 million tons of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is generated in Canada annually with 70% of this volume ending up in landfills. Thus, finding a sustainable solution for repurposing tailings sand and reusing concrete waste is crucial. This research aims to discover ways to transform tailings sand into an environmentally friendly substitute for conventional concrete ingredients such as cement and sand. The research will also investigate the potential of using demolished concrete obtained from the nearby Glenmore landfill as a substitute for natural coarse aggregate. Given the significant environmental impact and carbon emissions associated with cement production and the depletion of natural resources through sand and stone excavation, our goal is to replace these materials with recycled mine tailings and recycled concrete aggregates (RCA). This project seeks to comprehensively investigate the properties of Brenda Mine's tailings sand and RCA supplied by the City of Kelowna, and evaluate their strength, durability, and environmental impact on concrete production.
A limited number of guidelines/practices for such use of mine tailings and C&D waste have been developed globally. Research results from this project will be presented during the technical committee meetings of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA A23.1) and American Concrete Institute (ACI) 555 Concrete with Recycled Materials (ACI 555) committee to get their feedback and endorsement to incorporate such concrete in CSA and ACI codes. Ultimately, this initiative aligns with Canada's commitment to recycling and reusing materials, propelling us toward a greener and more sustainable future.
Program
Alliance Grants
Recipient
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
592359-2023
Name nom
Alam, Shahria S
Department département
Okanagan - Engineering, School of
Organization id
2
Institution établissement
The University of British Columbia
Province en
British Columbia
Province fr
Colombie-Britannique
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2024
Competition year année de concours
2023
Award amount
110000
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
601
Area of application group en
Construction, urban and rural planning
Area of application group fr
Construction, urbanisme et aménagement rural
Area of application en
Structural engineering
Area of application fr
Génie des charpentes
Research subject code
1103
Research subject group en
Structural engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie des structures
Research subject en
Concrete structures
Research subject fr
Structures en béton
Field of research list names en
Not available
Field of research list names fr
Non disponible
Socioeconomic objective list names en
Not available
Socioeconomic objective list names fr
Non disponible
Application title
Greening Concrete: Unearthing Sustainable Solutions from Mining Materials and Landfill Waste
Keywords
cement mortar; concrete; durability; fresh and hardened properties; life cycle assessment; material characterization; mine waste; rebar bond test; recycled concrete aggregate; substrate bond test
Application summary
Brenda Mine - a decommissioned copper-molybdenum mine managed by Glencore Canada Corporation in the Okanagan region currently holds 230 million tonnes of finely ground flotation tailings sand. The tailings sand, historically extracted from the ground represents an enormous volume of resources that could be used in the production of green concrete. In addition, 9 million tons of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is generated in Canada annually with 70% of this volume ending up in landfills. Thus, finding a sustainable solution for repurposing tailings sand and reusing concrete waste is crucial. This research aims to discover ways to transform tailings sand into an environmentally friendly substitute for conventional concrete ingredients such as cement and sand. The research will also investigate the potential of using demolished concrete obtained from the nearby Glenmore landfill as a substitute for natural coarse aggregate. Given the significant environmental impact and carbon emissions associated with cement production and the depletion of natural resources through sand and stone excavation, our goal is to replace these materials with recycled mine tailings and recycled concrete aggregates (RCA). This project seeks to comprehensively investigate the properties of Brenda Mine's tailings sand and RCA supplied by the City of Kelowna, and evaluate their strength, durability, and environmental impact on concrete production.
A limited number of guidelines/practices for such use of mine tailings and C&D waste have been developed globally. Research results from this project will be presented during the technical committee meetings of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA A23.1) and American Concrete Institute (ACI) 555 Concrete with Recycled Materials (ACI 555) committee to get their feedback and endorsement to incorporate such concrete in CSA and ACI codes. Ultimately, this initiative aligns with Canada's commitment to recycling and reusing materials, propelling us toward a greener and more sustainable future.
