Faculty Publications
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Item Studies on iron tailings towards usage for paving blocks manufacture(2010) Mangalpady, M.; Sampath Kumar, N.N.Disposal of mill tailings is one of the major problems in mining industry. Investigations are being done all over the world to utilize tailings for useful purposes. The scope of this work is to study the utilization of iron ore tailings in manufacture of concrete paving blocks. Five reference mixes were prepared using cement, jelly dust and baby jelly. Ten paving blocks were prepared from each type of mix, out of which five specimens were cured for 7 days and five were cured for 28 days. By using sand and tailings as fine aggregates, two modified mixes were prepared by replacing jelly dust partly in reference mixes. Similar to reference mix, five mix ratios were made and ten paving blocks were prepared from each type of mixtures. From each set of paving blocks, five specimens were cured for 7 days and the other five specimens were cured for 28 days. Laboratory tests were conducted to assess water absorption and compressive strength of specimens, and graphs were plotted for their comparison among each type of respective mix ratios. In all the comparisons, compressive strength of tailing based mix was higher than the respective reference mix. Similar trend is shown by the graphs plotted for water absorption. © 2010 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved.Item A comprehensive assessment of increased iron ore production on the environment - A case study(2011) Thimmaiah, S.A.; Rao, Y.; Murthy, C.H.S.N.There has been a significant increase in iron ore production in the Bellary- Hospet-Sandur sector of Karnataka, India due to sudden increase in the demand of iron ore from other countries as well as by local steel plants set up in the region. An attempt has been made in this paper to study the effect of increase in the iron ore production on various environmental parameters like air, water, soil and noise. For this purpose a study area of 10 Km radius was taken and the various environmental parameters were monitored before and after increase in iron ore production in the region. Study shows that there is no significant change in the air quality in terms of SPM, RPM, SO2 and NOx in the region. In many locations, there is decrease in the concentrations of these parameters. This is mainly due to improvement of roads by asphalting, effective covering of iron ore trucks by tarpaulin, awareness among mine owners about the protection of environment by following various pollution control measures, dust suppression measures on the public road using water sprinklers and stringent monitoring of the environmental protective measures by various regulatory authorities. The concentration of SO2 and NOx was found to increase due to increase in traffic by movement of tippers in the public/village road. The deployment of heavy earth moving machinery at mine site also contributed for increase of SO2 and NOx. The surface water quality parameters were found to be within the acceptable limits in the study area. There is no possibility of disturbing/altering ground water table due to mining operations as the mining is being carried out on hill top which is above the general ground level. In agricultural soil, except that of potassium and electrical conductivity, variations in other parameters are insignificant as the agricultural lands are located 2 to 3 Kms away from the active mining area. Increase in noise level is found at most of the locations of the study area. Therefore, serious attempts should be made by mine owners as well as statutory bodies to reduce the sound level at various locations for increasing the quality of life in these locations in terms of sound level. © 2011 CAFET-INNOVA technical society. All right reserved.Item Experimental studies on Iron-ore tailing based interlocking paver blocks(2012) Ravi Kumar, C.M.; Anil, A.; Prashanth, M.H.; Venkat Reddy, D.Interlocking concrete block pavers (ICBP) has been extensively used in many of the countries due to concern with durability. They are utilized in a variety of commercial, municipal and industrial applications. The superior engineering properties, low maintenance, ease of placement and removal, aesthetic appeal and immediate availability are the primary reasons for choosing concrete block pavement over other paving surfaces. ICBP are colored using iron oxide pigments. The present investigation details the properties of ICBPs mixed with iron ore tailings as a partial replacement for cement. The paper discusses the experimental studies on strength characteristics and water absorption of iron ore tailings based concrete paver blocks by considering actual area and plan area and results has been compared with that of conventional concrete paver blocks. © 2012 Cafet-innova technical society. © 2012 Cafet-Innova Technical Society.Item An economic analysis of environmental pollution and health - a case study of Bellary-Hospet sector(2012) Thimmaiah, S.A.; Ravi, D.R.; Rao, Y.V.; Murthy, C.S.N.The Earth's natural ecosystem is the basis for our life-supporting system and provides marketable goods to human and other living organisms. The natural environment has always been exploited to fulfill human needs. The green revolution and industrial revolution has caused serious threat to sustainable development for both developed and developing countries. The degradation of air, water and land has directly affected the livelihood and human health. The environmental damage increases, as the economic activity increases, in view of the fact that the association between economy and the environment are multiple, complex and important. Mining is one such activity, which significantly results in the degradation of the environment, apart from generating huge economy to the country. Hence, the identification and quantification of socio economic impact of environmental pollution caused due to increased mining activity is necessary in the broader economic analysis. The present study is envisaged with the objective to identify and evaluate the impacts of mining activity on Social, Economical and Environmental Aspects of the area and to measure its economic burden on the affected people. The ambient air quality in the selected stations of study area reveals that, the increase in iron ore production has significantly resulted in the deterioration of air quality. High particulate matter to an extent of 310 ?g/nm3 in case of SPM concentration and 160 ?g/nm3 in case of RSPM. The health data collected from the respondents have revealed, significantly more number of respondents who are suffering from dust allergy, skin allergy in the study area, where there are mines and are working as workers in those mines, contributing for higher health cost incurred through treatment. © 2012 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY.Item Utilisation of mine waste in the construction industry - A Critical Review(CAFET INNOVA Technical Society 1-2-18/103, Mohini Mansion, Gagan Mahal Road, Domalguda, Hyderabad 500029, 2016) Shreekant, R.L.; Mangalpady, M.; Vardhan, H.The exploitation of mineral resources would promote the development of economy and society, but it will also generate massive waste/tailings that may pollute the environment significantly (in the form of spreading of waste in and around the mines, siltation of soil/slimes in nearby water bodies, air pollution etc.) Therefore, developing comprehensive utilization of waste fines/tailings in large scale is the need of the day in order to improve the surroundings and for sustainable development of resources. Manufacturing of non-fired bricks is one of the options for utilization of waste generated in mines along with reduction of CO2 emission. If the waste material is improperly dumped in mine site, the flow of material during rainy season may reduce the fertility of nearby agricultural land. Hence, waste utilization plays a vital role in natural resource conservation. Further, building blocks/bricks from mine waste is eco-friendly as it utilizes waste and reduces air, land and water pollution. It is energy efficient and also cost effective as reported by various investigators in the past. Hence, it is very much necessary to find alternative for making use of iron ore waste material (fines)/tailings as an aggregate in construction materials like bricks or paving blocks. This paper provides a critical review of the utilization of mine waste for brick making in the construction industry. © 2016 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved.Item Comprehensive Assessment on Utilization of Iron Ore Tailing as Backfill Material in Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall(Springer, 2025) Satheesh, A.; Sridhar, S.; Packiam, S.World is bestowed with self-sufficient magnetite and hematite iron ores. Huge volume of mining waste, namely iron ore tailings (IOT), is generated during processing of iron ore, leading to environmental concerns. At the same time, due to excessive usage and environmental regulations, there is scarcity of naturally available granular material. This paper presents the detailed laboratory study carried out to ascertain the feasibility of adopting iron ore tailings as an alternate granular backfill material in mechanically stabilized earth wall. A comprehensive study on mineralogical, physiochemical, and geotechnical characteristics was carried out on IOT procured from Lakhya dam, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, India. X-ray fluorescence study indicates the presence of silica as major mineral along with hematite as major iron-bearing mineral. IOT is classified as a poorly graded sand with high friction angle value varying between 44° and 50° under loose and dense states and negligible particle breakage under compaction. The environmental risk connected with IOT was assessed through leaching studies and it was characterized as low contamination low ecological risk material. Design of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall with IOT and granular soil as backfill using tie-back wedge method revealed that identical number of reinforcement layers are required when iron ore tailing or granular soil is used as backfill. Further, finite element modeling of MSE wall with IOT and river sand as backfill was carried out to compare the deformation behavior. MSE wall with IOT as backfill showed 70% reduction in horizontal facing displacement in comparison with sand backfill. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Indian Geotechnical Society 2024.Item Enhanced Recovery of Iron Values from Low-Grade Ores and Tailings through Reverse Cationic Flotation(World Researchers Associations, 2025) Varma, R.M.; Harsha, V.; Reddy, B.R.R.; Shanmugam, S.B.; Harish, H.India is well-known for its rich deposits of high-quality hematite ores, making it a vital player in the global market. As the availability of high-grade iron ores diminishes, the need to process low-grade ores, fines and slimes through beneficiation is becoming increasingly important to meet market requirements. The creation of fines and slimes leads to a mineral loss of about 20 to 25% of the overall mineral value during processing. This research investigates the beneficiation of iron ore tailings using reverse cationic flotation, with Sokem reagent acting as a collector and starch serving as a depressant. A series of comparative assessments involving magnetic separation and gravity separation were performed. An initial mineralogical examination showed that hematite and goethite were the main iron-bearing minerals, accompanied by quartz and kaolinite as significant gangue materials. The selective flocculation technique proved effective, enhancing the iron grade from 41.05% to 57.03% Fe, with a recovery rate of 47.35%. After desliming, the outcomes improved further, yielding 58.25% Fe and a recovery of 29.00%. These results underline the potential for successful beneficiation of iron ore tailings, offering valuable insights for enhancing the recovery of high-grade iron from low-grade ores and reducing mineral losses during processing. © 2025, World Researchers Associations. All rights reserved.Item Development of beneficiation circuit for low-grade laterite iron ores sourced from the Gujarat area(World Researchers Associations, 2025) Reddy, B.R.R.; Harsha, V.; Bhushan, A.S.; Harish, H.; Shanmugam, S.B.This study focuses on the maximum recovery of iron values from the low-grade laterite iron ore. The Fe analysis of laterite was carried out using wet method analysis. Subsequently, the characterization studies were carried out on laterite ore using Optical microscope for liberation studies, mineral phase analysis with XRD and elemental analysis using SEM-EDS. Further, the ore of feed particle size of-150 microns was subjected to physical separation techniques such as scrubbing, hydro cyclone, spiral concentrator and dual-stage HGMS and two beneficiation circuits. The results from the above physical separation beneficiation techniques showed a concentrate of 41.25% FeG and a recovery of 48.05% in beneficiation circuit 1 and a concentrate of 48.03 % FeG and a recovery of 62.11% in beneficiation circuit 2 which is not feasible for iron-making in the blast furnace. © 2025, World Researchers Associations. All rights reserved.Item Experimentation and Statistical Prediction of Dust Emission in Iron Ore Mines using Supervised Machine Learning (Regression) Modelling(World Researchers Associations, 2025) Rajib, P.; Harsha, V.; Senapati, A.; Sahas, S.V.In India, the mine area and the processing plant of materials such as iron ore and coal will cause dust emissions. The fugitive dust emission creates a hazardous working environment for the workers. Dust emissions will cause pulmonary-related diseases to the workers and also to the people living in nearby areas of the mine. Environmental effects such as air pollution occur due to the dispersion of particulate matter over the permissible limit in the processing area. This study evaluates dust emission levels and air quality control measures in an iron ore mine (A), Karnataka, India. Fugitive and workplace dust sampling was conducted following DGMS and MoEF and CC guidelines, with a specific focus on PM10 and PM2.5 particulate matter. Measurements revealed that dust concentrations in several mining areas exceeded the permissible limit of 1200 ?g/m³ as per the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS, 2009). To analyze and predict these concentrations, supervised machine learning (regression) modeling including linear, polynomial (order 2) and polynomial (order 2) models, was applied. The results indicated that a third-order polynomial regression model provided the best fit for predicting dust concentrations, demonstrating lower error. The study emphasizes the necessity of more robust dust suppression measures including installing a dry fog dust suppression system, to guarantee safe working conditions and adherence to environmental regulations, even in the face of efforts to reduce dust exposure. © 2025, World Researchers Associations. All rights reserved.