Utilization of Modified Red Mud Waste from the Bayer Process as Subgrade and Its Performance Assessment in a Large-Sale Application

Abstract

The utilization of red mud waste discharged from the Bayer production process used for extracting alumina from bauxite presents a pressing demand in the aluminum industry. This study aims to adopt a chemical modifier to solidify the Bayer red mud for its application in highway subgrade. The mechanism and properties of the modified red mud using a modifier composed of cement, phosphogypsum and organic polymer, were analyzed and investigated. It was found that the optimal modifier dosage of the solidified modifier was 8%. The three-day unconfined compressive strength of the modified Bayer red mud could reach up to 3 MPa and its strength loss when immersed in water at 7 days and 28 days measured less than 20%. For its real application as subgrade, its road performance could be achieved with good bearing capacity, including a resilient modulus value greater than 90 MPa, a dynamic deformation modulus reaching up to 140 MPa and the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) value measuring less than 100 (0.01 mm). Compared with traditional lime or cement stabilized soil, using locally modified Bayer red mud for subgrade filling can reduce the project cost, minimize the consumption of non-renewable resources and reduce the emission of environmental hazards, thus providing an engineering reference for large-scale and resource-based road applications.