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Utilization of solid waste can be a preferable waste management solution. In this study, a type of self-foamed glass ceramic material was prepared using lead zinc mine tailings, red mud, and silica sand tailings through in-situ decomposition foaming. The effect of silica sand tailings content on the pore morphology, microstructure, and basic performances of the prepared specimen was analyzed. Meanwhile, the differences in the pore morphology and self-foaming behavior of the foamed glass ceramics were discussed. The obtained results indicated that the addition of silica sand tailings facilitated the formation of the glass phase in samples, and the composition, content, and viscosity of the glass phase could be changed by adjusting the content of silica sand tailings, resulting in a uniform distribution of the formed pores. Owing to their well-distributed pore structure, foamed glass ceramics exhibit excellent comprehensive properties (light weight and high strength), making them a potential non-load-bearing material. In this study, the comprehensive properties of the sample prepared with 40 wt% silica sand tailings were determined to be the best: exhibiting the lowest bulk density (0.63 g/cm3), highest porosity (72.6%), and an applicable mechanical strength (9.7 MPa). This study utilized three solid wastes through a reasonable combination based on their chemical composition, and proposed a novel technique for the preparation of self-foaming glass ceramics via the cooperative treatment of various wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the direction of dealing with solid hazards, preparing glass ceramic foam materials has become a practicable technique due to its environmental-friendly and economical characteristic. Here, we have successfully prepared glass ceramic foams with excellent combination of properties by utilizing lead-zinc mine tailings (LZMT), fly ash (FA) and red mud (RM) as the major component. The influence of sintering temperature on phase evolution, pore morphology, microstructure, physical properties and chemical stability of glass ceramic foam was investigated. The results reveal all above performances exhibit temperature-dependent character, with increasing sintering temperature, the performances enhance first and then deteriorate, the optimal porosity and compressive strength value for the prepared sample can be well achieved at the temperature of 980 °C. Liquid phase was formed during the heat treatment process and resulted in the variation of pore structure. According to SEM image and EDS spectra, the liquid phase may be the Ca-Al-Si-O system glass with less network modifier. The experiment results indicated that glass ceramic foams can be obtained by using solid wastes with different chemical compositions, better yet, it features with economic efficiency to solve the industrial solid wastes problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]