Researchers from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology (PWr), in collaboration with KGHM Metraco, have developed the world’s first vibro-pressed concrete blocks using post-copper aggregates. Thanks to their properties, they can be used for underground mining structures.
Post-copper aggregates are produced from slag – a by-product of copper smelting. Approximately one million tonnes of this raw material are produced annually, mainly used in road construction. Due to the significant amounts of post-copper slag produced, KGHM Metraco is looking for a new way to manage it. One idea is to use them in the production of vibro-pressed concrete blocks. “This is a very innovative solution which, to our knowledge, has not yet been tested worlwide. It is true that aggregates of this type are added to concrete in many countries, but the method using vibropressed elements has not yet been developed by anyone”, says Prof. Łukasz Sadowski of PWr.
