As a result of developing technology and scientific studies, employing dam tailings as critical raw material and vital economic reserve has become widespread recently. Employing dam tailings as a main ingredient of CPB (cemented paste backfill) can offer benefits to mining operations. This study deals with the use of dam tailings in CPB, considering the mechanical and geotechnical aspects. CPB was prepared at fixed solid and cement contents (72%, and 5%, respectively) and tested for different cure ages varying from 3 to 56 days. The results disclosed that the strength of filling increased over time, with the exception of 56-day cured CPB having high sulfur minerals where strength decreased sharply. The reasons behind these strength surges could be clarified by CPB’s basicity, which quickens the hydration of cement. Voids between tailings grains are also occupied by hydration products, resulting in the high strengths. Due to the fact that higher sulfate contents can cause lower pH values within CPB, this is one of the factors that should be considered for the backfill’s strength performance. The cement tends to increase the backfill’s pH in short term, but pH of long-term cured backfills decreases because of dam tailings which is inclined to acid formations and erosions. This is a sign that the deformation properties of CPB are deteriorated. Depending on curing time, CPB’s water content and void ratio decrease, but their surface areas increase. The resulting data will endow to better apprehend the effects of dam tailings on CPB quality integrating cost and quality.

Industrial solid residual waste (ISRW) generated during and/or due to the making of energy, heat, and raw materials poses a major threat to a sustainable future due to its large production quantities and complex characteristics. Especially improper disposal of ISRW (e.g., coal ashes, municipal waste residue, and biomass ashes) not only threatens human health but can also cause environmental hazards such as water, soil, and air pollution, upsetting the global balance. Given the environmental impacts as well as increasingly stringent disposal regulations, lack of landfills, and economic constraints, more sustainable and naturally friendly management strategies are being adopted for ISRW. While numerous studies in the literature have considered various characteristics of ISRW, a complete appraisal of the entire practice, from making to disposal, is still lacking. This paper presents an overview of the making, features, and traditional and innovative managing tactics of ISRW within the context of a general legal framework. This paper provides a scientific review of the various production types, global production quantities, and characteristics of ISRW. Additionally, the orthodox management strategies of ISRWs are scrutinized from a sociological and ecological standpoint, and diverse techniques for more viable and secure management are elucidated. This review culminates in an examination of the global impact and advantages of ISRW management policies based on legislation and regulations. Consequently, this paper seeks to elucidate the extant practices and a few recent advancements pertaining to ISRWs. Additionally, it underscores the ecological, sociological, and economic issues engendered by ISRWs and proposes innovative applications and production technologies.

The thinning of tailings gradation during ore processing leads to a sizeable fall in the strength of cementitious paste backfill (CPB), increases operational risks, and encourages researchers to use alternative economic products. This study aims to increase the strength performance by improving CPB’s gradation while cutting costs and reducing the sum of the binder employed per unit volume. An evolution of the slump/strength/structural properties of sand-substituted CPBs was explored experimentally. Samples were made with a fixed cement content (7 wt.%), diverse tailings/sand fractions (e.g., 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and 50/50), and diverse solid contents (e.g., 72 and 76 wt.%). After curing for 3–56 days, several experiments, such as slump, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were undertaken for the filling samples. The results demonstrate that adding sand to the backfill greatly increases CPB’s strength (up to 99%), but the replacement rate of sand was limited to 30% due to its segregation effect. Microstructural tests reveal that CPB’s void volume decreases as the added amount of sand increases. To sum up, it was concluded that calcareous sand made a major contribution to the filling strength, incorporating the effects of enhancing the fill gradation’s readjustment and reducing the sum of cement being used in the unit volume for CPB manufacturing.