Transforming waste red mud into sustainable cementitious materials for self-cleaning applications
The development of novel catalysts and photocatalytic materials is an active area of study in the field of remediation of air pollution. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of red mud-based cement mortars for photocatalytic abatement of nitrogen oxides (NO and NOx) under solar irra...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | capítulo de libro |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Navarra |
| Repositorio: | Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarra |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:dadun_______::a216b42c3eb68fb8d99338699f962f8c |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10171/124486 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Photocatalytic activity Incinerated red mud Mortars Nitrogen oxide abatement Sustainability |
| Sumario: | The development of novel catalysts and photocatalytic materials is an active area of study in the field of remediation of air pollution. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of red mud-based cement mortars for photocatalytic abatement of nitrogen oxides (NO and NOx) under solar irradiation. Red mud is an industrial by-product generated during the Bayer process for refining bauxite into alumina. It poses significant environmental challenges due to its highly alkaline nature and presence of toxic heavy metals. Typically, hematite (α-Fe2O3) and goethite (α-FeOOH) are the compounds or iron oxide phases which are found in abundance in red mud. Interestingly, hematite is a nontoxic and stable compound, which possesses a visible light active band gap and can be a potential catalyst for photocatalytic activity. Red mud is thermally activated at 300°C and 600°C to transform its mineral phases, with the goal of increasing the concentration of α-Fe2O3. The presence of hematite and associated phase transformations were analysed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Initial investigation involving the testing of incinerated red mud powders for the nitrogen abatement test indicates the photochemical reactivity of incinerated red mud. Further explorations reveal that incinerated red mud-based cement mortars can be classified either as Class 2 or Class 3 category depending on the concentration of red mud in cement mortars according to UNE 127197-1:2013; this reflects their persuasive effectiveness in reducing air pollution, particularly nitrogen oxides. This finding opens up new possibilities for researchers to investigate the effectiveness of red mud in environmental remediation applications, particularly in the field of air pollution control. |
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