Investigating the Recycling of Andesite Waste from Quarry Mines in the Production of Artificial Stone: An Analysis of Environmental, physical-mechanical and Economic Issues

Environmental issues related to mine wastes have highlighted the importance of waste recycling. A study was conducted on sand mines in Kurdistan province, Iran, focusing on the construction of artificial stones from effluent to minimize environmental impact. The research included environmental, physical-mechanical, and economic analyses, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for environmental assessments. Tests on density, water absorption, and strength showed that stones containing effluents were superior to other products. Increasing effluent percentages did not significantly affect density but improved water absorption and strength. Artificial stones containing ۴۰% effluent demonstrated the greatest resistance and the least water absorption. This formulation achieves compressive strengths of ۳۶.۰۷ MPa, flexural strengths of ۱۵.۰۹ MPa, and tensile strengths of ۱.۸۹ MPa. Furthermore, it possesses a dry density of ۲.۳۳ gr/cm³, and a water absorption rate of ۳.۸۲%. Additionally, stones with effluent demonstrated better resistance to corrosion acid. The research methodology employed in the environmental analysis involved the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Findings from environmental studies indicated that the volume of waste emerged as the most significant criterion with ۲۷.۳% weight when evaluating the selection of construction products that are environmentally compatible. Furthermore, research in environmental studies indicates that artificial stone is at least ۱۰% more preferred than natural stone, ۴۸% more preferred than tile, and ۶۳% more preferred than brick. The analysis within the economic section demonstrated that the production of artificial stone incorporating waste, which achieved an internal rate of return of ۱۳۸%, was more cost-effective than comparable products.

کلیدواژه ها:

Artificial Stone ، Environmental analysis ، Rock mechanical analysis ، Waste recycling ، Quarry mine