Geopolymerization and Its Potential Application in Mine Tailings Consolidation: A Review

A new class of construction materials has been in development in the past several decades through geopolymerization reactions of aluminosilicate minerals, which can potentially replace ordinary Portland cement (OPC). In this paper, the brief history of the development of the geopolymerization technology was reviewed with particular emphasis on the differences between “conventional” geopolymers, alkali-activated metallurgical slags, and zeolites. Studies on both the raw materials and the alkali activators in the geopolymerization processes were also reviewed. As oil sands tailings and many mine tailings contain aluminosilicate minerals as their main constituents, geopolymerization reactions have been explored as a potential technological route to treat these tailings for tailings consolidation and heavy metal fixation.