Reuse of mineral wool waste and recycled glass in ceramic foams

Novel ceramic foams have been prepared by high temperature sintering of waste mineral wool and waste glass using SiC as a foaming agent. The aim of the research was to understand the effects of composition and sintering conditions on the properties and microstructure and produce commercially exploitable ceramic foams. Optimum ceramic foams were formed from 40 wt% mineral wool waste and 2 wt% SiC, sintered at 1170 °C using a heating rate of 20 °C/min with a 20 min hold at peak temperature. The ceramic foams produced had a bulk density of 0.71 g/cm³ and a uniform pore size distribution. The research shows that ceramic foams can be formed from waste mineral wool and these can be used for thermal insulation with associated economic and environmental benefits.     

Structural,thermal and dielectric properties of AlN–SiC composites fabricated by plasma activated sintering

Highly dense AlN–SiC composites with various SiC additions (0–50?wt-%) were fabricated at 1800°C by plasma activated sintering. The effect of SiC addition on structural, thermal and dielectric properties as well as microwave absorbing performance of the composites was investigated. The thermal conductivity decreases with increasing SiC addition, from 68.7 W (m?K)^?1 for 0?wt-% SiC to 19.38?W (m?K)^?1 for 50?wt-% SiC. On the contrary, the permittivity and dielectric loss increase gradually, from 7.6–8.5 to 22–26.7 and from 0.02–0.1 to 0.2–0.53, respectively. AlN–SiC composite with better thermal and dielectric properties in 30?wt-% SiC, whose thermal conductivity and dielectric loss are found to be 24.88?W (m?K)^?1 and 0.15–0.74, respectively. Furthermore, the composite exhibits microwave absorbing performance with the minimum reflection loss (RL) of ?16.5 dB at 15.5 GHz and the frequency range of 2.6 GHz for RL below ?10 dB (90% absorption).     

Strong and chemically inert sinter crystallised glass ceramics based on Estonian oil shale ash

Abstract

In heat and power production, oil shale combustion forms substantial amounts of solid waste, including fly ash. The present paper is dedicated to the manufacturing of frit derived glass ceramics from melting high amounts of this waste (65–67 wt-%) combined with inexpensive minerals, such as rhyolite (33–35 wt-%). Owing to a surface mechanism of crystallisation, fine powders led to glass ceramics with high strength and reliability, even for rapid treatments (fast heating, at a rate of 40°C min^?1, followed by 30 min holding stage). To minimise the presence of pressing and demoulding induced defects, the tiles were prepared by incorporating binders, i.e. polyethylene glycol or kaolin, to the frit mixtures. Finally, the stabilising effect of recycled borosilicate glass powders, mixed with waste derived glass powders, was also investigated with promising results for the production of a chemically stable material.     

Preparation and microstructure evolution of novel ultra-low thermal conductivity calcium silicate-based ceramic foams

In this study, municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI FA) was used as a new raw material for the ceramics industry and a novel ultra-low thermal conductivity calcium silicate-based foams (CSFs) was prepared by the direct foaming method. The effects of the addition of foam and borax on the sintering behavior and microstructural evolution of the CSFs were investigated. With the optimal amount of foam, the CSFs had an apparent porosity of 63.43%–67.49%, bulk density of 0.75–0.84 g/cm³, compressive strength of 1.83–3.21 MPa, and room-temperature thermal conductivity of 0.213–0.235 W/(m·K). Notably, the whisker morphology, pore structure, and sintering behavior of the samples can be controlled by changing the amount of borax. The prepared ceramic foams can be applied in the fields of thermal insulation, filtration, and catalyst carriers.     

Effect of calcium carbonate on the preparation of glass ceramic foams from water-quenched titanium-bearing blast furnace slag and waste glass

ABSTRACT

Glass ceramic foams were fabricated with powder sintering technology at a low temperature (900°C), using water-quenched titanium-bearing blast furnace slag (WTS) and waste glass as the primary raw materials. Additionally, calcium carbonate, sodium borate and sodium phosphate were chosen as sintering aids to form excellent performance products. The effects of calcium carbonate additions on foaming process, crystal content, morphology and properties of the prepared samples were systematically researched. The research indicates that increasing the calcium carbonate content made the foaming process harder and the pore size got more uniform. Consequently, the compressive strength and bulk density increased, while the porosity and water absorption decreased. The homogenous porous structures and optimal comprehensive properties were achieved with 5–7?wt-% CaCO₃ addition, including a bulk density of 0.79–0.82?g?cm^–3, porosity of 73.13–75.28%, water absorption of 3.29–3.75% and compressive strength of 13.13–13.85?MPa.     

Glass foams produced by glass waste,sodium hydroxide,and borax with several pore structures using factorial designs

Glass foams have great potential for several technological applications, for example, filters and thermal or acoustic insulators. Sodium hydroxide is an efficient foaming agent to obtain glass foams with high level of porosity. However, the control of variables that influences on structure, type, and size of pores of glass foams is necessary. This study evaluates the influence of composition and process parameters on glass foams based on soda-lime glass waste, sodium hydroxide, and borax. Experiments were conducted using factorial designs. According to the experimental conditions, bulk density varied from 0.16 to 0.79 g cm⁻³ and maximum porosity of 92%. Amounts of NaOH and borax in addition to sintering temperature are the main variables of the foaming process. The role of NaOH content is to reduce the density and closed porosity of glass foams associated with an increase in their open porosity. The addition of borax with low NaOH amount promoted densification and pore closure in glass foams. NaOH and borax content allows controlling the type of predominant porosity on foams (open or closed porosity). Glass foams were resistant to sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid in diluted solutions. These results allow controlling the pore structure of glass foams for different applications.     

Integrated utilization of high alumina fly ash for synthesis of foam glass ceramic

Due to the numerous increase of the building energy consumption and huge volume of industrial wastes produced in China, the development of thermal insulation materials is quite needed. Herein, foam glass ceramic, a kind of thermal insulation materials, was fabricated by using solid wastes high alumina fly ash and waste glass as the main raw materials. First, in this study the proportion scheme of this research was designed by using Factsage 7.1 and the foaming agent was CaSO₄. Secondly, the decomposition of calcium sulfate and the influence of process parameters, namely the sintering temperature and the foaming agent additive amount, on the microstructure and mechanical properties of foam glass ceramic were investigated. The experimental results showed that when the proposed foam glass ceramic was sintered at between 1180 and 1220?°C, it exerted excellent macro and micro properties. The optimum parameters were 2% CaSO₄ addition and sintering temperature of 1200?°C, and the corresponding bulk density and compress strength values were 0.98?g/cm³ and 9.84?MPa, respectively. Overall these results indicated that the preparation of foam glass ceramic made up a promising strategy for recycling industrial waste into new kind of building insulation materials.     

Novel glass ceramic foams materials based on red mud

Glass ceramic foams were prepared using red mud and fly ash with added CaCO₃ as foaming agents. The aim of the present work was to investigate the possibility of adding red mud, an alkaline leaching waste, in the raw material for the preparation of glass ceramic foams. The results of mineralogical analyses as well as the microscopic examination showed that the use of the red mud affect the mineralogical characteristics and structures of the as produced foams. The influence of amount of red mud on the bulk density and compressive strength of samples was further evaluated. The experimental results showed that relatively low bulk density foams (0.33–0.41 g/cm³) could be obtained by using low sintering temperature (760–840 °C) when the red mud/fly ash ratio does not exceed 40:60. The reduction of sintering temperature or, above all, the reduction of the holding time, was found to limit the coalescence and significantly improve the compressive strength of the foams (0.33–2.74 MPa).     

Sintering behaviour and characterisation of low-cost ceramic foams from coal gangue and waste quartz sand

New ceramic foams have been successfully synthesised with coal gangue and waste quartz sand, which supply a feasible way to recycle these hazardous solid wastes. An objective of this research was to investigate the sintering behaviour and effects of sintering conditions on the crystalline phase change, microstructure and main properties of final ceramic foams. Good correlations among porosity, thermal conductivity, water absorption, bulk density, mechanical properties were studied. Results indicated that increasing sintering temperature or time had similar effects on the physical–mechanical properties. Samples sintering at 1140°C for 1 hour exhibited the highest porosity (87.5%), lowest bulk density (0.39?×?10^?3?kg?m^?3), lowest thermal conductivity (0.085?W·(m?K)^?1), moderate water absorption (9.38%) and adequate flexible strength (2.4?MPa). Combined with excellent properties and low-cost characteristics, the new development for ceramic foams preparation will be widely used in building insulation materials for no-load bearing walls.     

Production of ceramic glass foam of low thermal conductivity by a simple method entirely from fly ash

Ceramic glass foam/foams (CGF) from two different F-class fly ashes were produced via a well-known simple conventional sintering method using sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) as a foaming and fluxing agent. The research aimed to understand the effects of each fly ash, Na₂SiO₃ ratio, and sintering conditions on the properties and microstructure to produce a commercial CGF of low thermal conductivity. The chemical composition of fly ash from the thermal power plants of Tunçbilek and Seyitömer were quite similar but had different melting temperatures and microstructures. While the foam structure was successfully obtained at 1100 °C with 30 wt.% Na₂SiO₃ from Tunçbilek fly ash, a similar structure was obtained at 1150 °C from the Seyitömer fly ash. The effects of Na₂SiO₃ content and sintering temperature on the properties and microstructure of the CGF from the Tunçbilek fly ash of a lower melting point, in particular, were investigated systematically. The optimal sintering temperatures were determined to be 1200, 1150, and 1100 °C at the highest fly ash ratios of 90, 80 and 70 wt.%, respectively. The CGF were produced with 69.76–75.43% porosity, 0.55–0.69 gr/cm³ bulk density, 3.2–5.35 MPa compressive strength and 0.10–0.21 W/(m K) of low thermal conductivity. XRD results showed that optimal CGF samples mainly contained spinel, quartz and hematite crystal phases and amorphous phase. In this research, a thermal insulation material was successfully produced using an industrial waste completely with a well-known simple method. It is thought that this will contribute beneficially to the environment and the economy.     

Tape casting of polysiloxane-derived ceramic with controlled porosity and surface properties

Tape casting has been applied to produce porous hybrid and SiOC ceramic tapes using ceramic precursors and commercially available polysiloxanes as polymeric binders. SiC particles of two different mean sizes (4.5 or 6.5?μm) were used as inert fillers to prevent shrinkage and increase mechanical stability. Macroporosity was adjusted by varying the azodicarbonamide (ADA) content from 0 to 30?wt.%. Decomposition of the polysiloxanes at 600?°C resulted in the generation of micropores with high specific surface area (187–267 m²?g^?1) and a predominant hydrophobic behavior. At 1000?°C mainly meso/macroporosity were observed (SSA: 32–162 m²?g^?1) accompanied by increased hydrophilicity. The influence of ADA content, SiC size, and pyrolysis temperature on open porosity (2.5–37%), average pore size (<0.01–1.76?μm), surface characteristics, and flexural strength (10.5–121?MPa) were investigated. The porous tapes with different surface characteristics and controlled structure are highly promising for applications involving membrane processes, particularly microfiltration systems (0.1–10?μm).     

Grain-growth-induced high electrical conductivity in SiC–BN composites

SiC–BN composites were fabricated by conventional hot-pressing from β-SiC and h-BN nanopowders with 2?vol% yttria as a sintering additive. Electrical and thermal properties of the composites were investigated as a function of initial BN content. Owing to the nanosize of the starting powders, the grain-growth-assisted N-doping of the SiC lattice was significantly enhanced during liquid-phase sintering, yielding the highest-reported electrical conductivity of ~124 (Ω?cm)^?1 for a SiC–4-vol% BN composite. The typical values of electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of the SiC–4-vol% BN composite at room temperature were 8.1?×?10^?3 Ω?cm and 92.4?W?m^?1 K^?1, respectively.     

High-porosity mullite ceramic foams prepared by selective laser sintering using fly ash hollow spheres as raw materials

A novel method to prepare high-porosity mullite ceramic foams by selective laser sintering (SLS) using fly ash hollow spheres (FAHSs) as raw materials was reported. The complex-shaped FAHS green bodies and ceramic foams without delamination or cracks were prepared by SLS. The influence of sintering temperatures on linear shrinkage, phase composition, porosity and mechanical properties was investigated. With the increase of sintering temperature from 1250?°C to 1400?°C, the compressive strength of ceramic foams increased from 0.2?MPa to 6.7?MPa causing the fracture mechanism change from fracturing along FAHSs to across FAHSs, while the porosity of ceramic foams decreased from 88.7% to 79.9% which was higher than those of ceramic foams prepared by the conventional methods. The relatively high porosity of ceramic foams was resulted from the inner hollow structure of FAHSs, the interspaces between stacking FAHSs, and the gaps between FAHSs directly related to SLS. The results above indicated that the fabrication of high-porosity FAHS ceramic foams by SLS could achieve the advanced utilization of FAHS solid waste.     

Synthesis and characterization of porous ceramics from spodumene tailings and waste glass wool

Glass wool waste remains a challenging waste fraction with relatively little utilization prospects. The present study investigated the development of porous ceramic materials from glass wool waste and spodumene tailings mainly made of quartz feldspar sand (QFS), with 0.05–0.5% silica carbide (SiC) as a pore-forming agent. The formulated compositions were sintered at 950 °C and analyzed in terms of mechanical properties, phase composition, and microstructure using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray micro-computed tomography. The results showed that a synergetic effect of glass wool and SiC started to be significant from 15 wt% glass wool and 0.05 wt% SiC, the strength reducing and the porosity increasing with the increase of SiC. The porous ceramics were largely amorphous, with compressive strength ranging from 5 to 30 MPa while the water absorption and apparent density ranged from 2 to 10% and 0.7–1.2 g/cm³, respectively. The total porosity varied between 20 and 75%, and the wall thickness between 62 and 68 μm; besides, most of the prepared materials floated in water. These results are of interest for the repurposing of glass wool waste in the development of non-flammable lightweight materials for potential filtering or high-rise building applications.     

Role of unburnt carbon in adsorption of dyes on fly ash

Various fly ash samples with different unburnt carbon contents were collected, characterised and tested for adsorption of basic dyes, Methylene Blue and Crystal Violet, in aqueous solution. It was found that unburnt carbon plays a major role in dye adsorption. The mineral matter of fly ash has little adsorption capacity and most of the adsorption capacity of fly ash can be attributed to the unburnt carbon. The fly ash with higher unburnt carbon content will have higher adsorption capacity. For the carbon‐free fly ash, adsorption capacities for Methylene Blue and Crystal Violet are only 2 × 10^?6 mol g^?1 and 1.0 × 10^?6 mol g^?1, respectively, while the adsorption capacities for Methylene Blue and Crystal Violet on carbon‐enriched fly ash are 1.2 × 10^?4 mol g^?1 and 1.0 × 10^?4 mol g^?1, respectively. A two‐site Langmuir adsorption model best describes the adsorption isotherm. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Glass–Ceramic Foams from Borosilicate Glass Waste

In this study, we reported the studies on a glass–ceramic foam with wollastonite and cristobalite micrometric crystals prepared by sintering a borosilicate glass waste with organic binder as foaming agent. The waste glass, coming from the dismantling of washing machine, was characterized by high CaO content and low-temperature sinterability. The effect of the temperature on the sinter-crystallization ability of the borosilicate glass waste was followed with thermal analysis, heating microscopy, and electron scanning microscopy (ESEM) observations. Additionally, the effect of temperature on the evolution of crystalline phases and density variation was monitored with XRD and density measurements. The softening started at 800°C and crystallization at 845°C to be completed at 900°C with a linear expansion of 38–40% in the range 850–900°C. Wollastonite and cristobalite were identified as crystalline phases in variable proportions dependently upon temperature. No crack evidence was found at high ESEM magnification even though cristobalite crystals were present. The final products showed a total porosity around 78–79% and an apparent density of about 0.5 g/cm³, in line with common porous closed-cell glass foams used for thermal insulation.     

Preparation and properties of low friction silicon carbide ceramic seals by pore creation

Abstract

Low friction silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic seals were prepared by combining liquid phase sintering (LPS) with pore creation, the effects of polyethylene oxide (PEO) as pore former on the sintering and mechanical properties, microstructure, and friction properties of LPS–SiC ceramic seals were investigated. The PEO firstly forms cross-linking aggregates with loose structure in SiC granules, which uniformly creates macropores on the surface and inside of LPS–SiC ceramic seals during the sintering. The addition of PEO decreases the sintering and mechanical properties of LPS–SiC ceramic seals obviously, while significantly reduces the dry friction coefficient of LPS–SiC ceramic seals. When the PEO content increases from 0 to 15 wt-%, the dry friction coefficient drops from 0·403 to 0·126. The pore creation of PEO improves the friction performances of SiC ceramic seals in sliding wear applications.     

利用工业废料制备再生陶瓷墙地砖

对陶瓷工业废料及粉煤灰生产再生陶瓷墙地砖进行了研究,并引人少量硼砂作为助熔剂,使工业废料总利用率达25%-35%,再生陶瓷制品强度提高幅度达16.4%-35%.     

Preparation and characterization of mullite whisker reinforced ceramics made from coal fly ash

Ceramics with mullite whiskers were prepared from coal fly ash and Al₂O₃ raw materials, with AlF₃ used as an additive. The phase structures and microstructures of the ceramics were identified via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The results show that pickling of coal fly ash is an effective method for enhancing the flexural strength of ceramics. Sintering temperature and AlF₃ addition were also key factors influencing the creation of ideal ceramics. The ceramic made from pickled coal fly ash, 6?wt% AlF₃, and sintered at 1200?°C, exhibited the highest flexural strength of 59.1?MPa, and had a bulk density of 1.32?g/cm³ and porosity of 26.8%. The results show that ceramic materials made under these conditions are ideal candidates for manufacturing ceramic proppants for the exploitation of unconventional oil and gas resources.     

Electrophoretic deposition of nanostructured TiO2/alginate and TiO2-bioactive glass/alginate composite coatings on stainless steel

Abstract

Two alginate (Alg) based composite coatings on stainless steel AISI 316L substrates, one containing titania nanoparticles (n-TiO₂) and another one a mixture (50/50 wt-%) of n-TiO₂ and bioactive glass (BG), intended for biomedical applications, were developed by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) from ethanol/water suspensions. Different n-TiO₂ (2–10 g L^?1) and BG (1–5 g L^?1) contents were studied for a fixed alginate concentration (2 g L^?1), and the properties of the electrophoretically obtained coatings were characterised. Coatings with high ceramic content (up to 67 vol.-%) were obtained. The presence of BG particles improves the mechanical properties of the coatings by increasing the adhesion to the substrate and also accelerates the formation of hydroxyapatite after immersion of the coatings in simulated body fluid. The electrochemical behaviour of the coated substrates, evaluated by polarisation curves in Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium at 37°C, confirmed the corrosion protection function of the novel EPD coatings. The present polymer–ceramic composite coatings belong to an emerging family of bioactive, compliant coatings that are promising for a range of biomedical applications.