The influence of using different red mud content in the properties of hydraulic tiles

Abstract The reduction of binder consumption in mortar and concrete compositions and the use of supplementary cementitious materials are alternatives that produce lower environmental impact, allowing cost reductions and enhancing the characteristics of cementitious materials. At the same time, the aluminum industry, through the Bayer process, generates a large amount of red mud, causing another kind of environmental impact. The main purpose of this project was to evaluate the impact of using different contents of red mud in association with different kinds of Portland cement in the composition of hydraulic tiles. The hardened properties were monitored by colorimetry, porosity by Archimedes immersion method, water absorption by capillarity, resistance to abrasion, flexure strength and air-permeability. The results indicate that the use of red mud had a significant impact on air-permeability, by reducing it, as well as on the colour of the tiles, however, no statistically significant impact was observed on the other properties evaluated.