Sustainable Utilization of Red Mud in Construction Materials and Ceramic Materials: A Comprehensive Review

Red mud is the industrial solid waste discharged when aluminum production industry extracts alumina from bauxite during the production of aluminum. It has characteristics of high content of heavy metals and strong corrosiveness. The emission of large quantity of red mud has caused serious ecological environment pollution and resource waste. However, the red mud contains high Al2O3 and SiO2, which is widely considered as a potential construction material and ceramic material resource. Therefore, the use of red mud to produce construction materials and ceramic materials has important social and economic value and environmental benefits. This paper systematically summarized the chemical characteristics of red mud and its treatment status, and emphatically analyzed the application status of red mud in the field of construction and ceramic materials, and summarized the main action mechanism of red mud as construction materials and ceramic materials. Finally, some suggestions and prospects for the utilization of red mud in the field of construction and ceramic materials were put forward.