Photocatalytic properties of ZnO nanoparticle coating on porous ceramic substrates with varying porosities produced from fly ash and red mud

In order to improve filtering efficacy, nanoparticles are often deposited as photocatalytic degrading agents onto porous ceramics. This study aimed to deposit ZnO nanoparticles on ceramic substrates produced from fly ash and red mud with adjustable porosity and investigate their photocatalytic properties. To achieve this goal, at first porous ceramics were produced and sintered at various temperature/time intervals. It was observed that sintering at 800°C for 120 min provided a proper structure and porosity. In addition, MgO replacement with MgCO₃ lowered the water absorption of the samples from 25.63% to 11.45%. The samples were then coated with ZnO nanoparticles using the sol–gel method and the ZnO structures obtained were micron-sized plates. It was observed that increasing porosity increased the ZnO amount and accordingly the photocatalytic properties of the products. During the adsorption tests conducted in the dark, the coated ceramic samples were stained with MB with a maximum MB adsorption ratio of ∼14%. On the other hand, no visible MB stain was observed on the samples that were exposed to UV irradiation, and the MB removal after the UV irradiation was 93.6%; therefore, it was concluded that the dominant MB removal mechanism was photocatalytic.     

Preparation and characteristics of porous anorthite ceramics with high porosity and high-temperature strength

High-temperature properties including compressive strength, thermal shock behavior, and thermal conductivity of porous anorthite ceramics with high specific strength were tested and analyzed. The results showed that the prepared materials merit high-temperature compressive strength, thermal stability, and conductivity. With the appropriate fabrication parameters, even though containing 0.33 g/cm³ bulk density and 88.2% porosity, its compressive strength could reach 2.03 MPa at 1000°C, 147% of that at room temperature; the residual strength ratio kept as 114.7% after a thermal shock at 1200°C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed that anorthite grains refinement and intergranular voids filling by liquid phase were main factors for the high strength. From room temperature to 1200°C, its thermal conductivity only varied from 0.085 to 0.258 W·(m·K)⁻¹. High porosity, a large number of nanoregions in anorthite grains and amorphous phase in grain boundary were main reasons for low thermal conductivity.     

Light‐weight thermal insulating fly ash cenosphere ceramics

Light weight fly ash cenosphere (FAC) ceramic composites were developed by simple slip casting method. Thermal properties, Bulk density, Microstructure, flexural strength, and phase analysis of the FAC ceramic composites were measured. The results proved that the FAC have ability to lower bulk density and thermal conductivity effectively. The lowest thermal conductivity achieved for FAC ceramic composites (0.27 W/m.K) was further reduced 0.21 W/m.K by adding combustible additives ie activated charcoal and corn starch. The flexural strength, bulk density and thermal conductivity of FAC ceramic composites reduced consistently with an increase in FAC content. The maximum flexural strength of 13.45 MPa was achieved with 50% FAC and the minimum flexural strength of 4.07 MPa was obtained with 80% FAC. The open porosity increased from 35.51% to 43.76% and 38.19% with an addition of 15% activated charcoal and corn starch, respectively, when compared to no additives. The bulk density of 699, 619, and 675 kg/m³ was achieved with 80% FAC, 80% FAC with the addition of 15% activated charcoal and corn starch, respectively. The 80% FAC ceramic composite shows low thermal expansion coefficient 6.54 × 10^?6/°C at the temperature of 50°C then it varies between 3.7 and 5 × 10^?6/°C in the temperature range above 100°C. These results prove that the developed light weight FAC ceramic are excellent low‐cost thermal insulating materials.     

Investigation of photocatalytic properties of TiO2 nanoparticle coating on fly ash and red mud based porous ceramic substrate

Titanium dioxide is one of the best semiconducting photocatalysts available for photocatalytic cleaning applications. Especially nano-sized TiO₂ particles deposited on porous substrates can be utilized as a filter for solid and liquid media. On the other hand, red mud and thermal plant fly ash are hazardous wastes that are produced in large quantities. Recycling/reuse of these waste material in a porous ceramic production would be beneficial both for environmental and economical issues. In the present study, a porous substrate was produced from red mud and fly ash with varying ratios and additives of H₃BO₃, CaCO₃, and MgCO₃ for lowering the melting temperature and porosity formation. Sintered ceramics were then coated with nano-sized TiO₂ particles by the sol-gel method. Ultrasonic dispersion of nano-sized TiO₂ nanoparticles was also utilized as an alternative method for impregnation of nanoparticles into the porous structure of the ceramic substrate. Finally, photocatalytic activities and degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV radiation of substrates were investigated. According to the SEM investigations, the sol-gel method was observed to be a better way of nanoparticle deposition because deposited particles are homogenous throughout the ceramic body. Also, this method provides lower particle sizes than the ones that were deposited by the ultrasonic dispersion method. This results in higher surface area and better photocatalytic activities.     

粉煤灰提取氧化物研究进展

粉煤灰是目前世界上排放量最大的固体废弃物之一。研究表明,中国部分地区粉煤灰具有极高的利用价值。近年来,关于粉煤灰中硅、铝的提取和应用方面的研究逐渐升温。介绍了粉煤灰提取氧化物的4种主要方法：赤泥法、烧结法、酸法、碱法,详细介绍了烧结法、酸法、碱法并给出了其典型工艺路线。综述了目前中国粉煤灰提取氧化物的最新研究进展。总结了几种方法各自的优缺点,展望了中国粉煤灰提取氧化硅、氧化铝的前景。粉煤灰提硅提铝工艺的研究和开发,有良好的社会效益和经济价值。     

Fabrication and characterization of porous cordierite ceramics prepared from fly ash and natural minerals

Low cost, single-phase porous cordierite ceramics are successfully synthesized by in-situ solid-state reactions from fly ash, quartz, and magnesite. The effects of sintering temperature and magnesite content on phase transformation, open porosity, bulk density, mechanical properties, and microstructure are carefully investigated. Factsage analyses are carried out to calculate the isopleth diagrams, and the results agree well with the experimental outcomes. Thermal gravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter analyses (TG-DSC) are performed to characterize the weight loss and transient behaviors of the raw materials. Linear thermal expansion properties are also studied. The α-cordierite phase is the only phase observed in S-3 (magnesite content 25%) sintered at 1300 °C for 2 h, and its linear thermal expansion coefficient (2.71 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹) is close to that of typical cordierite. Both the compressive strength (72.64 MPa) and flexural strength (23.92 MPa) of the as-synthesized samples are high with an open porosity of 33.16% and a bulk density of 1.61 g/cm³.     

Fabrication and properties of porous anorthite/mullite ceramics with both high porosity and high strength

Porous anorthite/mullite ceramics with both high porosity and high strength have been successfully fabricated by foam-gelcasting and pressureless sintering technology, using α-Al₂O₃, SiO₂, and CaCO₃ as starting materials and MnO₂ as sintering aids. The porous mullite ceramics prepared in this study had 83.3% porosity and 0.3 W/m·K thermal conductivity, exhibited compressive strength value as high as 6.1 MPa. The samples fabricated with mullite content of 30 mol% possessed 79.4% porosity and 5.9 MPa compressive strength showed thermal conductivity as low as 0.19 W/m·K. With the addition of MnO₂, the properties of the prepared materials varied slightly when mullite content changed in a large scale. The results showed that the addition of MnO₂ promoted the reaction, affected sintering and grain growth, and contributed to high strength and low-thermal conductivity.     

粉煤灰细粉添加量对多孔莫来石材料的影响

为了提高粉煤灰的资源化利用,在m(漂珠):m(氢氧化铝):m(V2O5):m(AlF3)=45:55:4:3的混合料中分别添加不同量(每100 g混合料分别添加0、5、10、20、30 g)的粉煤灰细粉,以PVA溶液为结合剂,经干料混匀、泥料搅拌、泥料陈腐、挤制成型、1100℃保温2 h烧成制备莫来石试样,然后检测其致...     

Preparation of high strength and low thermal conductivity mullite refractories based on reconstruction of fly ash

The preparation of refractories with both low thermal conductivity and high strength are continuously pursued in industrial furnaces. In this work, mullite refractories with low thermal conductivity and high strength were developed using fly ash as main raw material, and the influence of the quantity of fly ash and sintering temperature on the structure and properties of mullite refractories were investigated. The results show that mullite refractories with low thermal conductivity and high strength could be prepared by using fly ash in large proportion; the thermal conductivity of the samples decreased with the addition of the fly ash and increased with the increase of sintering temperature; the cold compressive strength and modulus of rupture of samples all are enhanced with the increase of sintering temperature, which is attributed to the formation of more elongated mullite by the reconstruction of fly ash at high temperature. For the mullite refractory using 65.04 wt% fly ash treated at 1600°C, the thermal conductivity was .732W/(m·k) at 1000°C, and the cold compressive strength and modulus of rupture could reach 143.5 ± 5.7 MPa and 47.0 ± 4.1 MPa respectively. It can be considered to use as a prospective work lining in industrial furnaces to meet energy saving requirements.     

Preparation of high-strength ceramsite from red mud,fly ash,and bentonite

High-strength ceramsite was prepared from red mud, fly ash, and bentonite without any other chemical additives by a two-stage sintering process. In addition, the raw material weight ratio, and sintering condition (sintering temperature, sintering time, preheating temperature, and preheating time) were investigated, and their effects on the ceramsite properties were determined. The mineral compositions, crystalline phases, microstructures, and hazardous substances solidification were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Under the optimal synthetic conditions (RM:fly ash:bentonite = 60:30:10, preheating temperature of 450 °C, preheating time of 10 min, sintering temperature of 1150 °C, and sintering time of 25min), the ceramsite exhibited a high compressive strength of 21.01 MPa, 1-h water absorption of 1.21%, and bulk density and apparent density were 994 and 1814 kg/m³, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of toxic substances leaching from the ceramsite were considerably lower than the Chinese national standard (GB 3838-2002), which implies that RM-based ceramsite cannot cause secondary environmental pollution. The prepared ceramsite exhibiting a high compressive strength, low water absorption, and effective solidification of deleterious elements can be used to prepare building concrete and lightweight partition boards. Importantly, the reuse of RM for the production of ceramsite is an effective approach for the disposal of harmful RM.     

Preparation of SiC reticulated porous ceramics with high strength and increased efficient filtration via fly ash addition

The new route for recycling fly ash was proposed to prepare SiC reticulated porous ceramics (SRPCs) with high strength and increased efficient filtration for molten metal filtration. The effects of fly ash on the rheological characteristics, microstructure evaluation and wetting behavior between SRPCs and molten metal were investigated. It was found that the fly ash was beneficial to thixotropic property of SiC slurry when its content was less than 30 wt%. Furthermore, fly ash in SRPCs was completely transformed into mullite with needle-shape at 1300 °C, forming a porous structure containing micro pores and windows. SRPCs containing 20 wt% fly ash exhibited a higher strength because of the improved rheological properties of SiC slurry and the optimized microstructure in skeleton. In addition, the added fly ash in SRPCs could increase the contact angle between skeleton substrate and molten metal via microporosization of skeleton, thus exhibiting the potential ability to improve the filtration efficiency.     

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.     

赤泥多孔材料负载微生物去除苯酚

以赤泥等工业废弃物为原料制备了一种多孔材料,采用酸改性、碱改性、氧氯化锆改性3种方法进行表面改性,在表面负载假单胞菌,用于去除污水中的苯酚。结果表明:在1200℃下烧结多孔材料,孔隙率可以达到80%,孔隙大小控制在50～100μm;氧氯化锆改性后的多孔材料负载假单胞菌的能力强;去除苯酚的主要影响因素为苯酚初始浓度和pH值,在pH值为5～6、苯酚初始浓度为40mg/L的条件下去除能力最强,可以达到80%。     

Recycling of waste red mud for fabrication of SiC/mullite composite porous ceramics

SiC/mullite composite porous ceramics were fabricated from recycled solid red mud (RM) waste. The porous ceramics were formed using a graphite pore forming agent, RM, Al(OH)₃ and SiC in the presence of catalysts. The influence of firing temperature and the pore-forming agent content on the mechanical performance, porosity and the microstructure of the porous SiC ceramics were investigated. Optimal preparation condition were determined by some testing. The results indicated that the flexural strength of specimens increased as a function of firing temperature and a reduction in graphite content, which concomitantly decreased porosity. The ceramic prepared under optimal conditions having 15?wt% graphite and sintered at 1350?°C, demonstrated excellent performance. Under optimal preparation conditions the flexural strength and porosity of the ceramic were 49.4?MPa and 31.4%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy observation result showed that rod-shape mullite grains endowed the samples with high flexural strength and porosity. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the main crystallization phases of the porous ceramics were 6H-SiC, mullite, cristobalite and alumina. This work demonstrates that RM can be sucessfully reused as a new raw material for SiC/mullite composite porous ceramics.     

粉煤灰对活性艳红溶液的吸附脱色处理

以活性艳红染料模拟废水为研究对象,考察粉煤灰对染料废水的吸附脱色作用,考察了粉煤灰的加灰量、吸附时间、吸附温度、废水pH值及初始浓度对活性艳红脱色率的影响。实验表明,废水初始浓度越低,吸附时间越长,脱色效果越好,当吸附时间达60 min时,脱色率趋于稳定;随着粉煤灰加入量的增加,脱色率呈上升趋势,对于100 mg/L的染料溶液,当粉煤灰用量为60 g/L时,染料溶液脱色率可达95%;粉煤灰脱色效果受pH值影响很大,碱性条件下粉煤灰的脱色率较高,酸性条件下次之,中性条件下最差,最佳pH值为10。脱色率随温度的升高而下降,但影响不大。     

分选与磨细粉煤灰对水泥胶砂性能的影响

研究了分选与磨细粉煤灰的颗粒分布与形貌的差异及对水泥胶砂性能的影响。研究结果表明:当勃氏比表面积相近,磨细粉煤灰的中位粒径大于分选细粉煤灰,其圆珠状颗粒较少,表面较为粗糙。在相同水胶比的条件下,掺分选粗粉煤灰的水泥胶砂流动度及强度均低;分选粗粉煤灰磨细后,不仅减少了颗粒的粘连,增加了比表面积,而且提高了粉煤灰的反应活性和水泥胶砂流动度及强度,虽其水泥胶砂流动度仍小于掺分选细粉煤灰的水泥,3d水泥胶砂强度也略低,但其28d水泥胶砂强度略高于掺分选细粉煤灰的水泥;在相同水泥胶砂流动度的条件下,掺磨细粉煤灰配制的水泥胶砂3d强度低于掺分选细粉煤灰的水泥,但随着水化龄期的增长,其差距逐步缩小,至60d时可超过后者。     

复合碱激发剂协同处理高钙粉煤灰研制土聚水泥

采用复合碱激发剂协同处理高钙粉煤灰研制土聚水泥,试验确定了复合碱激发剂的模数和掺量、养护温度和养护时间,并研究了高钙粉煤灰基土聚水泥的抗压强度、反应产物和微观形貌。试验结果表明:复合碱激发剂适宜的模数为1.5,掺量为Na2O当量10%;适宜养护条件为75℃养护8h,然后在23℃室温养护至所需龄期,其28d抗压强度达63.4MPa;碱激发高钙粉煤灰过程中体系内同时生成土聚水泥凝胶和水化硅酸钙凝胶,并有类沸石矿物生成,反应产物与未反应的粉煤灰颗粒胶结成较为密实的高钙粉煤灰基土聚水泥硬化浆体。     

高硫灰与渣中硫的测定及影响因素研究

为了准确测定高硫灰及渣中硫,研究了库仑滴定法和高温管式炉燃烧红外热导法测定高硫灰及渣中硫含量的方法及其影响因素。结果表明,灰的粒径对库仑滴定法和红外热导法测定的准确性均有显著影响,需研细到0.04 mm以下时,才能消除粒径对高硫灰测定的影响。库仑滴定法测定高硫灰的时间较煤中全硫和低硫灰长200 s以上。三氧化钨的催化作用主要体现在促进灰中硫酸钙的分解。对硫含量高于现有灰标准物质的高硫含量灰,可以通过增大灰标准物质使用量的方法标定库仑测硫仪后准确测定,或通过使用煤标准物质标定库仑测硫仪后,在坩埚底部添加0.1 g活性炭法准确测定,添加活性炭能明显减少灰中硫的测定时间。     

粉煤灰泡沫陶瓷的制备及结构表征

以粉煤灰为主要原料,添加少量的高岭土及微量的添加剂为辅料,采用泡沫浸渍法制备粉煤灰泡沫陶瓷。采用X射线衍射、场发射扫描电镜研究了泡沫陶瓷的生成相及其分布,以及泡沫陶瓷的形貌：并对泡沫陶瓷的孔隙率、抗压强度等进行了表征。结果显示,泡沫陶瓷的生成相主要为莫来石,通过扫描电镜观察到莫来石为细长的针状,大量存在于孔隙位置。从泡沫陶瓷孔隙率的测试结果可知,随着粉煤灰含量的升高,泡沫陶瓷的平均孔隙率下降,抗压强度升高;同一组分试样,当烧结温度升高时,试样的平均气孔率下降,抗压强度升高到一定值后会下降。     

Ceramic tiles derived from coal fly ash: Preparation and mechanical characterization

Coal fly ash (CFA) accounts for a large fraction of the solid waste produced in China. Hence, there is an urgent need for the effective utilization of CFA, for example, as a raw material for ceramics production. In this study, clay- and feldspar-like materials fabricated by alkali activation pre-treatment of CFA were mixed with untreated CFA (regarded as a quartz-like material) and sintered to prepare fully ash-based ceramic tiles. The obtained tiles exhibited excellent sintering properties, e.g., low firing temperature and a wide sintering range; further, they showed better green strength (due to hydrogen bonding) and post-sintering performance (due to fluxing and mullite skeleton effects) than ceramic tiles produced exclusively from untreated CFA. The fully ash-based ceramic tiles sintered at 1100 °C exhibited optimal post-sintering properties (bulk density, 2.5 g/cm³; rupture modulus, 50.1 MPa; and water absorption, 0%). Thus, the proposed method is well suited for preparing a novel kind of ceramic tiles completely derived from CFA, highlighting its importance in the field of fly ash ceramics.