[ Elaboration et caractérisation de briques en terre crue incorporant des rejets de flottation de minerai cupro-cobaltifères ]
Crépin Kyona1, Fanny Descamps2, Ophélie Faÿ-Gomord3, Philippe Ancia4, and Jean-Pierre Tshibangu5
1 UNILU, Université de Lubumbashi, Département de Chimie et Industrie, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Route Kasapa1875, RD Congo
2 UMONS, Université de Mons, Service de Génie Minier, Faculté Polytechnique, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
3 KU Leuven, Géologie, Département des Sciences de la Terre et Environnement, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
4 UMONS, Université de Mons, Service de Génie Minier, Faculté Polytechnique, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
5 UMONS, Université de Mons, Service de Génie Minier, Faculté Polytechnique, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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.
Author Keywords: bricks, raw earth, reject, characterization.
Crépin Kyona1, Fanny Descamps2, Ophélie Faÿ-Gomord3, Philippe Ancia4, and Jean-Pierre Tshibangu5
1 UNILU, Université de Lubumbashi, Département de Chimie et Industrie, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Route Kasapa1875, RD Congo
2 UMONS, Université de Mons, Service de Génie Minier, Faculté Polytechnique, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
3 KU Leuven, Géologie, Département des Sciences de la Terre et Environnement, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
4 UMONS, Université de Mons, Service de Génie Minier, Faculté Polytechnique, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
5 UMONS, Université de Mons, Service de Génie Minier, Faculté Polytechnique, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
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.
Author Keywords: bricks, raw earth, reject, characterization.
Abstract: (french)
Cette étude vise à caractériser des briques en terre crue contenant respectivement 0%, 5%, 10% et 15% de rejets solides issus de la flottation des minerais oxydés, mixtes et sulfurés stockés dans une digue de la Compagnie Minière du Sud-Katanga en République Démocratique du Congo. Ce type de briques favoriserait une meilleure gestion de l’environnement suite à l’évacuation des rejets de leur site de stockage et limiterait la déforestation. Estimés à plus de 1534 390 de tonnes sèches, ils contiennent certains métaux tels que le cuivre et le cobalt. Les micrographies des différents échantillons de briques contenant respectivement 0%, 5%, 10% et 15% de rejets, et leurs spectres EDX ont montré l’existence de la porosité interparticulaire et de matériaux argileux proches de la kaolinite et de l’illite. Il a été aussi décelé la présence des cristaux rhomboédriques, caractéristiques de la dolomite issue probablement de la roche mère précurseur de sols présents dans ces briques, et de la gangue des minerais initialement traités par la Générale des Carrières et des Mines stockés aussi dans la digue. La caractérisation mécanique des échantillons par poinçonnage montre que les différentes formulations de matériaux présentent des résistances au poinçonnage proche, ce qui appuie aussi les résultats proches obtenus lors des essais soniques et qui prouvent que l’ajout des rejets ne modifie presque pas les performances mécaniques des briques. L’allure des courbes de poinçonnage et la forme des cratères font penser à la présence de la microstructure collapse dans les briques.
Author Keywords: brique, terre crue, rejection, caractérisation.
