Review on the activation methods and mechanisms of metal tailings

ZHANG Xinyue; CAI Xinhua; WANG Jun; LIU Shuhua

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1001-702X.2025.10.001

Abstract：Metal tailings activation,as a key technology for solid waste resource utilization and low-carbon utilization,aims to depolymerize inert structures and stimulate activity through mechanical,thermal,chemical and synergistic effects,contributing to the goal of carbon reduction.Studies have shown that:mechanical activation can significantly enhance the degree of amorphization of silicate minerals;thermal activation promotes the dissolution of active Al3+by dehydroxylation of clay minerals to form a more dense gel network;and synergistic activation of multiple modes of composite activation can effectively reduce the energy barrier of silica-oxygen tetrahedral depolymerization,and significantly enhance the 28 d compressive strength of cementitious materials.This review will systematically sort out the research progress of metal tailings activation methods and mechanisms,deeply analyze the in-trinsic correlation between the evolution of multi-scale structures,such as mineral phase transition,crystal defects,surface properties,etc.,and macroscopic properties,elucidate the nature of the role of different activation paths,and explore the optimization direction of low-carbon activation process,so as to provide solid theoretical basis for constructing a highly efficient and low-consumption tailings building materialization technology system.