This study aims to characterize raw earth bricks containing respectively 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% of solid discharges from the flotation of oxidized, mixed and sulfur minerals stored in a dike of the Southern Katanga Mining Company in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This type of brick would promote better management of the environment following the evacuation of waste from their storage site and would limit deforestation. Estimated at more than 1534390 dry tons, they contain certain metals such as copper and cobalt.
The micrographs of the different brick samples containing respectively 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% waste, along with their EDX spectra, revealed the presence of interparticle porosity and clay materials similar to kaolinite and illite.
The presence of rhombohedral crystals was also detected, characteristic of the dolomite probably from the parent rock precursor of soils present in these bricks, and of the gangue of the ores initially treated by the General of Quarries and Mines also stored in the dike.
The mechanical characterization of the samples by punching shows that the different material formulations have close punching resistances, which also appeals to the close results obtained during the sonic tests and which prove that the addition of the rejects almost does not modify the mechanical performance of the bricks. The pace of the punching curves and the shape of the craters are reminiscent of the presence of the collapse microstructure in the bricks.