ABSTRACT
Herein, tartaric acid (TA) was used as a binder to prepare red mud pellets. The effect of TA on the compressive strength and induration mechanism of the pellets containing TA was analyzed via the changes in crystal structure, functional groups, and valence states of the constituent elements. The induration mechanism of TAPE is likely the chemical reaction between TA and partial calcite along with complexation of TA with minerals containing Ca(II), Al(III), and Fe(III). The density functional theory calculation results revealed that the TA-Ca(II) complexation products in red mud were more stable than those of Al(III) and Fe(III).
Acknowledgements
We thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their detailed evaluation and constructive suggestions.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).