Mining Waste Materials in Road Construction

Resource depletion and environmental degradation have resulted from the substantial increase in the use of natural aggregates and construction materials brought on by the growing demand for infrastructure development. Road building using mining waste has become a viable substitute that reduces the buildup of industrial waste while providing ecological and economic advantages. In order to assess the appropriateness of several mining waste materials for use in road building, this study investigates their engineering characteristics. These materials include slag, fly ash, tailings, waste rock, and overburden. To ensure long-term performance in pavement construc-tions, it evaluates their tensile and compressive strength, resistance to abrasion, durability under freeze-thaw cycles, and chemical stability. The review indicate that waste rock and slag have excellent mechanical strength and durability, which makes them suitable alternatives to conventional aggregates for high-traffic roadways. Despite their need for stabilization, fly ash and tailings have important pozzolanic qualities that improve subgrade reinforcement and soil stability. When properly processed, overburden mate-rials can be used again for subbase layers and embankment building. This review also assesses the environmental effects, such as acid production and leachability, to make sure that the use of mining waste complies with legal and sustainable requirements. This review paper helps to re-duce landfill disposal, minimize carbon emissions, and promote circular economy concepts in the construction sector by maximizing the use of mining waste in road building. The findings show that mining by-products have the potential to be widely used in infrastructure projects as an economical and ecologically friendly substitute for traditional materials. To enable broad adop-tion, future studies should concentrate on improving stabilizing methods, long-term field per-formance tracking, and policy frameworks.