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Vanadium extraction tailings, as a highly alkaline and hazardous solid waste, pose not only serious environmental risks but also severely hinder the large-scale recycling of secondary iron resources. This study proposes an innovative process of “mild alkali leaching for vanadium extraction coupled with deep calcification and dealkali removal”. The vanadium extraction slag from a steel plant in China was used as a raw material to carry out the experimental and pilot study of alkali leaching of vanadium and calcification dealkalization. Experimental results show that under the conditions of 120 °C, 1% NaOH solution, liquid-solid ratio of 4:1 to 6:1, and reaction time of 1 h, vanadium leaching rate can reach 50%, which can be effectively used as a high-value-added economic hedge. Subsequently, under the conditions of 200 °C, calcium oxide concentration of 19.29%, stirring speed of 800 rpm, liquid-solid ratio of 4:1, and reaction time of 1 h, the Na2O content in the tailings was successfully reduced to below 1%. A large number of tailings can be converted into high-quality secondary iron ore resources, which are suitable for subsequent iron-bearing briquette preparation and blast furnace ironmaking. Furthermore, pilot-scale testing in a 200 L reactor verified the engineering scalability of this combined process, maintaining a vanadium extraction rate of over 50% and an alkali removal rate of over 80%. This study provides a robust, scalable, and highly profitable pathway for the comprehensive utilization of high-alkali metallurgical solid waste.

Glass fiber reinforced polypropylene composite plates have gradually attracted more attention because of their repeated molding, higher toughness, higher durability, and fatigue resistance compared to glass fiber reinforced thermosetting composites. In practical engineering applications, composite plates have to undergo bending effect at different angles in corrosive environment of concrete, including bending bars from 0~90°, and stirrups of 90°, which may lead to long-term performance degradation. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the long-term performance of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene composite bending plates in an alkali environment. In the current paper, a new bending device is developed to prepare glass fiber reinforced polypropylene bending plates with the bending angles of 60° and 90°. It should be pointed out that the above two bending angles are simulated typical bending bars and stirrups, respectively. The plate is immersed in the alkali solution environment for up to 90 days for long-term exposure. Mechanical properties (tensile properties and shear properties), thermal properties (dynamic mechanical properties and thermogravimetric analysis) and micro-morphology analysis (surface morphology analysis) were systematically designed to evaluate the influence mechanism of bending angle and alkali solution immersion on the long-term mechanical properties. The results show the bending effect leads to the continuous failure of fibers, and the outer fibers break under tension, and the inner fibers buckle under compression, resulting in debonding of the fiber–matrix interface. Alkali solution (OH− ions) corrode the surface of glass fiber to form soluble silicate, which is proved by the mass fraction of glass fiber decreased obviously from 79.9% to 73.65% from thermogravimetric analysis. This contributes to the highest degradation ratio of tensile strength was 71.6% (60° bending) and 65.6% (90° bending), respectively, compared to the plate with bending angles of 0°. A high curvature bending angle (such as 90°) leads to local buckling of fibers and plastic deformation of the matrix, forming microcracks and fiber–resin interface bonding at the bending area, which accelerates the chemical erosion and debonding process in the interface area, bringing about an additional maximum 10.56% degradation rate of the shear strength. In addition, the alkali immersion leads to the obvious degradation of storage modulus and thermal decomposition temperature of composite plate. Compared with the other works on the long-term mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene, it can be found that the long-term performance of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene composites is controlled by the corrosive media type, bending angle and immersion time. The research results will provide durability data for glass fiber reinforced polypropylene composites used in concrete as stirrups.

The durability of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites is significantly dependent on the structures and properties of the resin matrix. In the present paper, the effects of physical or chemical interactions between the molecular chain of the epoxy resin matrix and water molecules or alkaline groups on the water absorption, mechanical structures, and microstructures of epoxy resin samples were studied experimentally. The results showed that the water uptake curves of the epoxy resin immersed in water and an alkali solution over time presented a three-stage variation. At different immersion stages, the water uptake behavior of the resin showed unique characteristics owing to the coupling effects of the solution concentration gradient diffusion, molecular hydrolysis reaction, and molecular segment movement. In comparison with the water immersion, the alkali solution environment promoted the hydrolysis reaction of the epoxy resin molecular chain. After the immersion in water or the alkali solution for one month, the water uptake of the resin was close to saturate, and the viscoelasticity was observed to decrease significantly. The micropore and free volume space on the surface and in the interior of the resin gradually increased, while the original large-scale free volume space decreased. The tensile strength decreased to the lowest point after the immersion in water and the alkali solution for one month, and the decrease percentages at 20 °C and 60 °C water or 60 °C alkali solution were 24%, 28%, and 22%, respectively. Afterward, the tensile strength recovered with the further extension of immersion time. In addition, it can be found that the effect of the alkali solution and water on the tensile strength of the epoxy resin was basically the same.

Over 14 billion tons of mine tailings are produced throughout the world each year, and this type of waste is generally stored onsite indefinitely. Alkali activation is a promising strategy for the reuse of mine tailings to produce construction materials, converting this waste stream into a value-added product. One major problem with alkali-activated mine tailings is their low durability in water (i.e., low hydrolytic stability). In this article, the influence of a mixed sodium hydroxide/sodium silicate alkali activator on the compressive strength, hydrolytic stability, and microstructure of alkali-activated materials (AAMs) were systematically investigated. XRD, FTIR, NMR, and NAD were used to investigate microstructural changes, and a water immersion test was used to show improvements in hydrolytic stability. For gold mine tailings activated with pure sodium hydroxide, the compressive strength was 15 MPa and a seven-day water immersion test caused a strength loss of 70%. With an addition of 1 M sodium silicate in the activator, the AAMs achieved a compressive strength of over 30 MPa and strength loss of only 45%. This paper proposes a mechanism explaining why the strength and hydrolytic stability of AAMs are dependent on the dosage of soluble silicate. A high dosage of sodium silicate inhibits the depolymerization of the source material, which results in a sample with less amorphous aluminosilicate gel and, therefore, lower hydrolytic stability.

The utilization of waste glass as an aggregate in cement-based materials provides both environmental and economic benefits, but the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) caused by the reactive silica in glass aggregates is a significant challenge for its application. This study investigates the impact of different crushing methods on the ASR of glass aggregate mortar, with a focus on the effect of immersion crushing using calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution. Glass aggregates were prepared using conventional crushing, water immersion crushing, and CaCl2 immersion crushing methods. The ASR expansion and compressive strength of the mortar were evaluated through accelerated ASR tests, compressive strength testing, and microstructural analysis using SEM/EDS and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Results show that immersion crushing significantly mitigated ASR expansion and the associated loss in compressive strength. The CaCl2 immersion method yielded the most pronounced effect. Compared with conventional crushing, it reduced the ASR expansion by approximately 45% and improved the compressive strengths by approximately 20%. Microstructural analysis revealed that the CaCl2 treatment led to a higher Ca/Si ratio in the ASR gel, which reduced the gel’s water-absorbing swelling ability and consequently suppressed ASR-induced expansion. Additionally, the CaCl2 immersion crushing method resulted in the smallest changes in porosity and pore size distribution. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the safe use of waste glass in cement-based materials and contribute to the promotion of resource recycling in the construction industry.

This study investigated the compressive strength, drying shrinkage and alkali-silica reaction (ASR) expansion of alkali-activated mortars using sand or glass cullet (GC) as aggregates and using glass powder (GP) to partially replace ground granulated furnace slag (GGBS) as the precursor. For mortars using GC as the aggregate, the replacement of GGBS by GP decreased the compressive strength. The mortars using sand as aggregate showed severe drying shrinkage and the replacement of sand by GC could significantly decrease the drying shrinkage. The addition of calcium aluminium cement (CAC) could further suppress the drying shrinkage. The alkali-activated GGBS mortars using GC as the aggregate showed large expansion after alkaline immersion. When using GP to partially replace GGBS, the expansion was significantly decreased. The replacement of 15% GGBS by CAC could further decrease the expansion. The optimal alkali-activated cement (AAC) mixture proportion developed in this study was the mortars incorporating 15% of CAC, 10% of GGBS and 75% of GP as the compressive strength, expansion and drying shrinkage of this mixture could meet the stipulated mechanical and durability requirements for partition wall applications. Graphic Abstract

In the present work, the Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phases La 2 NiO 4+δ (La2) and La 4 Ni 3 O 10±δ (La4) were employed as cathode materials with Gd 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-δ (GDC) electrolyte for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). Cathode inks were deposited on the GDC substrate by the dip-coating technique. The electrochemical properties of the cathode in symmetric cells with GDC were investigated. The area-specific resistance (ASR) of the La 4 Ni 3 O 10±δ cathode is lower than that of the La 2 NiO 4+δ cathode at 600, 700, and 800 ºC, with values of 6.91, 1.22, and 0.23 Ω cm 2 , respectively. These values are better than other RP families previously reported. This work combines cathode layers to form multilayers as a La2La4La2 symmetric cell, enhancing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) properties, which exhibit an ASR value of 0.12 Ω cm 2 at 800 °C. We report a performance in a symmetric cell using a configuration with La2 and La4 cathodes that could be a promising alternative for IT-SOFCs. Graphical abstract

In this paper, a sol–gel method was adopted, using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor, to prepare hollow silica spheres through alkali-catalyzed sol, and further to form a long-chain structure through acid catalysis. The alkali-aluminosilicate glass is coated with hollow silica spheres by a dip coating method, and the anti-reflection (AR) nanostructured silica coatings with different thicknesses and porosities are obtained. The prepared hollow silica spheres have an inner diameter of 20 nm and a wall thickness of 6–20 nm. The average transmittance of the coating at normal incidence within the wavelength range of 300–900 nm is between 94 and 96.9%, a great improvement compared with 91.8% of the substrate. Hollow spherical and long-chain structure of silica is conducive to film formation on the glass surface and endows the film with a high mechanical strength. After 60 friction cycles, the average transmittance is only decreased by 0.6%. Graphical abstract

In this study, immersion experiments were conducted on the geopolymer mortar (GPM) by using artificial seawater, and the effects of alkali equivalent (AE) and waterglass modulus (WGM) on the resistance of geopolymer mortar (GPM) to seawater immersion were analyzed. The test subjected 300 specimens to 270 days of artificial seawater immersion and periodic performance tests. Alkali equivalent (AE) (3–15%) and waterglass modulus (WGM) (1.0–1.8) were employed as influencing factors, and the mass loss and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) were used as the performance evaluation indexes, combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze the time-varying pattern of geopolymer mortar (GPM) performance with seawater immersion. The findings demonstrated a general trend of initially growing and then declining in the uniaxial compression strength (UCS) of geopolymer mortar (GPM) under seawater immersion. The resistance of geopolymer mortar (GPM) to seawater immersion decreased with both higher or lower alkali equivalent (AE), and the ideal range of alkali equivalent (AE) was 9–12%. The diffusion layer of the bilayer structure of the waterglass particle became thinner with an increase in waterglass modulus (WGM), which ultimately led to the reduction in the resistance of the geopolymer structure to seawater immersion. Additionally, a support vector regression (SVR) model was developed based on the experimental data to predict the uniaxial compression strength (UCS) of GPM under seawater immersion. The model performed better and was able to achieve accurate prediction within 1–2 months, and provided an accurate approach to predicting the strength of geopolymer materials in a practical offshore construction project.

The salt lake and saline–alkali soil regions of high plateaus are characterized by widespread Alkali–silica reactive (ASR) aggregates, which severely threaten the durability of constructed infrastructure, including railways, highways, and buildings. The research systematically investigates the uniaxial compressive mechanical behavior and stress–strain constitutive relationship of high-performance concrete (HPC) with ASR mitigation measures (performance grades C40, C45, C50, and C60) after ten years of immersion in a standard alkali solution. A corresponding three-dimensional random aggregate mesoscopic concrete model was developed, and mesomechanical numerical simulations were performed to explore the failure process, failure patterns, and underlying mesoscopic damage mechanisms of the specimens. Results show that While the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of HPC show an expected increase with the concrete strength grade following long-term alkali exposure, both properties demonstrate a clear decline as the equivalent alkali content rises. Comparing and analyzing the C50 specimens of different admixtures, it was found that the air-entraining agent provided the most effective ASR suppression and obtained the highest uniaxial compressive strength compared with the rust inhibitor. By normalizing the stress–strain curves, the long-term constitutive behavior of HPC under alkali corrosion was summarized. Furthermore, mesoscopic model visualizations indicate that cracks initially appear in the mortar and gradually propagate inward during loading, leading to compressive failure characterized by diagonal cracks. Tracking the mesoscopic damage patterns within the specimens demonstrates that microcracks originate in the mortar and progressively extend through aggregates, revealing the underlying micro-damage mechanism. By studying the SEM-EDS images, it is found that HPC with a specific mix ratio designed in this paper can effectively inhibit the ASR effect, and it still has good corrosion resistance in long-term alkali immersion.