A New Geomaterial for Roads Based on Mining Waste For Sustainability and Resiliency-Paper

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The study evaluates granite mining waste as a substitute for part of the natural aggregate used in road materials, aiming to reduce waste disposal and conserve natural resources. Researchers blended quarry waste with tout-venant at different proportions and particle sizes, then assessed chemical, physical, hydraulic, and mechanical properties through laboratory testing.<br /><br />The waste contained quartz, kaolinite, and muscovite, and its leaching results met applicable European waste-acceptance limits. Most mixtures had suitable grading and plasticity for granular sub-base use, although some higher-fines mixtures fell outside grading criteria. Adding finer waste generally reduced permeability and produced low compressibility and limited swelling.<br /><br />Performance varied substantially by mixture. The blend containing 25% waste finer than 0.063 mm performed best for sub-base use, achieving a soaked California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of 22.1%, above the 20% minimum specified for that application. Other mixtures did not meet this CBR requirement, but may be suitable for less demanding uses such as leveling layers or berm fill.<br /><br />Overall, the results indicate that carefully selected granite-waste blends can be a technically viable and environmentally beneficial road-construction material. The authors recommend further field research to evaluate long-term performance under traffic and environmental conditions and to explore treatments that could improve the material’s properties.

Keywords

granite mining waste

road construction

natural aggregate substitution

sub-base material

quarry waste

California Bearing Ratio

granite waste blend

granular sub-base

waste recycling

geotechnical properties