Granite waste and coffee husk ash synergistic effect on clay-based ceramics

Brazil produces massive amounts of granite sawing waste and coffee husk ash and their inadequate and, often, illegal disposal causes enormous environmental problems. In the past decade, these and other industrial wastes have been intensively studied aiming at determining their potential as alternative raw materials, particularly for the ceramic industry. This work describes research carried out on the joint incorporation of those wastes in ceramic roof tile formulations. The results indicated that the simultaneous use of both materials translates into a very forgivable industrial working range, both composition- and temperature-wise, which, given the technological properties values observed after firing at 1100°C, enables industrial up-grade to wall tile production. As collateral benefits, the use of granite waste and coffee husk ash as alternative raw materials in the manufacture of clay-based products will relieve the stress on feldspars consumption and attenuate waste disposal concerns.     

Use of granite sawing wastes in the production of ceramic bricks and tiles

Granite process industry generates a large amount of wastes, which pollute and damage the environment. This work aims to characterize and evaluate the possibilities of using the granite sawing wastes, generated by the process industries from Paraı́ba State, Brazil, as alternative ceramic raw materials in the production of ceramic bricks and tiles. Samples of granite sawing wastes were collected from companies located in Paraı́ba State. Their characterization were carried out with the determination of density, particle size distribution, surface area (BET), chemical composition, and by DTA, TGA, XRD, and SEM. In a second part of the work, tests in ceramic compositions were conducted in order to evaluate the suitability of addition of wastes in ceramic compositions used in the production of ceramic bricks and tiles. The results showed that the granite wastes have physical and mineralogical characteristics that were similar to those of conventional ceramic raw materials. The ceramic bodies produced from reformulated ceramic compositions had technological characteristics in agreement with the Brazilian standardizations for ceramic bricks and tiles.     

The effects of fine fire clay sanitaryware wastes on ceramic wall tiles

In the last decade, environmental preservation has become an important issue. Specifically, recycling of sanitaryware fine fire clay (FFC) waste is important for reducing costs. In this study, the use of FFC waste as an alternative raw material in the production of ceramic wall tiles was investigated. Five ceramic wall tile bodies were prepared by substituting kaolin (max. 15 wt%) with FFC wastes. All formulations were mixed, pressed into pellets and sintered at 1145 °C. The sintering behaviour was evaluated using an optical dilatometer. Water absorption, linear shrinkage and bending strength were also measured. This study revealed that FFC wastes are good alternative raw materials, and the corresponding formulations were shown to be viable in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles. The most remarkable conclusion from this study was that the addition of FFC waste decreased moisture expansion.     

Evaluation of solid wastes in the manufacture of ceramic tableware glazes

The recovery and reuse of industrial wastes are of great importance to the environment. Today, a large amount of waste is produced due to marble production, and it is extremely important to bring such wastes to the ceramic industry, to solve the pollution problem and to provide cost-efficient ceramic production. In this study, marble waste was used for ceramic earthenware glaze and body formulations. Marble waste was used in two different formulations as glaze and body. Chemical analysis, morphological features, crystallographic information of different formulations were made with XRF, SEM and XRD, respectively. When the hardness test results of the ceramic body and glazed samples were examined, the hardness values of the marble waste added samples increased by 1.9% compared to the standard samples. According to the results obtained, it has been seen that using marble waste in the ceramic industry is very important for both economic and environmental reasons.     

Study of clay's mineralogy effect on mechanical properties of ceramic body using an experimental design

Three clays minerals namely illite (I), montmorillonite (M), and kaolin (K) were chosen as references to study the effect of mixture composition of clays on the mechanical properties and the shrinkage of the fired ceramic. The study was accomplished using the experimental design methodology. More specifically, a mixture design was carried out in order to establish relationships between mechanical strength and shrinkage of finished products and the proportions of the three clay mineral references in the mixture. The statistical study shows that the fitted models were adequate to describe these properties of fired ceramic bodies. The results demonstrate that the mechanical resistance was mainly governed by the amount of montmorillonite mineral. In fact, the mixture design performed in this study shows clearly that montmorillonite can be incorporated in industrial ceramic products up to 45 wt% with high mechanical resistance. On the other hand, the shrinkage decreases strongly with the amount of kaolin in the mixture and increases with the amount of illite while montmorillonite exhibits moderate effect on this property. The higher strength was shown in mixture in which mullite and anorthite appear together due to the presence of kaolinite and illite and give, as a consequence, a synergic power.     

Reformulation of roofing tiles body with addition of granite waste from sawing operations

A ceramic body traditionally used to produce roofing tiles was reformulated by the addition of granite waste from sawing operations. The objective was to obtain a ceramic product with better technological properties. The main tool for the reformulation was the definition of the appropriate particle size of the raw materials as given by the Winkler diagram. The raw materials were characterized with respect to their mineralogical composition by X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution as well as chemical composition and plasticity. Specimens were made by extrusion and fired at temperatures from 850 to 1100 °C. The technological properties determined were: dry bulk density, linear shrinkage, water absorption and mechanical strength. Microstructural analysis of the fired samples was carried out by X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the granite waste contributes to reduce the plasticity and the linear shrinkage of the ceramic bodies. One reformulated ceramic body exhibited better values of water absorption and mechanical strength than the industrially used.     

Sintering behavior of waste serpentine from abdasht chromite mines Abdasht chromite mines and kaolin blends

The aim of this study is investigating on sintering behavior of Abdasht waste serpentine and kaolin blends. According to this, three formulations of dry milled waste serpentine with 25%, 50% and 75% high grade kaolin were wet milled. The slurries were then dried, sieved and uniaxially pressed at 100 MPa and fired for 2 h soaking time at temperatures between 1100 and 1400 °C. Sintered samples were investigated by bulk density, apparent porosity, water absorption, linear shrinkage and phase changes with raising temperatures in order to characterize their sintering process. It was revealed that all samples were starting to melt at 1350 °C and the sintering was completed for all specimens at 1300 °C. The only phases of fully sintered samples were cordierite and enstatite. Cordierite concentration, however, increased with enhancing kaolin percentage in composition. The results of this study can introduce Abdasht waste serpentine as magnesium silicate source into the ceramic industries and may help to solve environmental problems caused by several million tones wastes in Abdasht chromite mines.     

Reuse of glass waste in the manufacture of ceramic tableware glazes

Today, various studies are carried out to spread the understanding of sustainability. The sustainability of production processes gains importance in corporate areas. In this study, the use of glass waste instead of frit used in glaze compositions in the ceramic industry was evaluated. The chemical and physical properties of glass wastes on samples were examined. The glaze formulations were prepared using 3%, 5%, and 8% by weight of glass waste instead of frit. Glass wastes were added to glaze compositions and 12 different glaze formulation studies were carried out. Transparent, Opaque, and Matte test glazes were prepared with glass waste added glaze formulations, and these glazes were applied to ceramic bodies. SEM (scanning electron microscope) analysis of standard glaze and glass waste added glazes was performed to determine the microstructural and morphological characterizations. Also, surface whiteness, brightness, L*a*b values, glaze flows, harcort test results, and final water absorption values were compared. As a result of the studies, it has been determined that it is appropriate to use 3% glass waste by weight instead of the frit in the production of ceramic tableware.     

Extrusion and property characterisation of waste-based ceramic formulations

This work describes the studies carried out with various industrial wastes and natural sub-products based on the SiO₂–Al₂O₃–CaO system, aimed at extruding all-waste ceramic products of industrial interest. Four waste materials were selected and characterised, namely, (i) Al-rich anodising sludge (A-sludge), (ii) sludge from the filtration/clarification of potable water (W-sludge), (iii) sludge generated in marble sawing processes (M-sludge), and (iv) foundry sand (F-sand).The plastic behaviour of two different all-waste formulations was first characterised by stress–strain curves and then, after prior adjustment of the plasticity level, the effect of the ram speed and extrusion pressure was evaluated using the Benbow–Bridgwater's model for paste extrusion. Using the waste-based formulations with additives and tube-dies of different die-land dimensions, a good agreement was demonstrated between predicted and measured values. The differences in the static friction coefficient give an effective indication of the surface quality of the extrudate.Extruded rods were then fired at several temperatures and characterised in terms of relevant functional properties (shrinkage, density and mechanical strength). Compositional evolution was assessed by X-ray diffraction. Since interesting performances were observed, the potential of the use of wastes in ceramic formulations of industrial interest was confirmed.     

Utilization of muscovite granite waste in the manufacture of ceramic tiles

Granite waste is by-product from a decorative rock industry. The present study aims to investigate the effect of muscovite granite waste on the physico-mechanical properties of ceramic tiles to demonstrate its suitability for industrial production. A series of flooring- and facing ceramic tiles were prepared by adding 20, 25, and 30 wt% muscovite granite waste into the batch compositions. The sintering behavior and degrees of densification of two kinds of ceramic tiles were evaluated by determining their physico-mechanical properties and characterizing them by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. As expected, the facing ceramic tile (FacCT1) sample, containing wollastonite, hematite, anorthite, quartz, and cristobalite, with 20 wt% muscovite granite waste showed lower physico-mechanical properties than those of the flooring ceramic tile (FloCT3) sample, containing mullite, calcium aluminosilicate, quartz, and cristobalite, with 30 wt% muscovite granite waste. The reason is that lower firing temperatures cannot accelerate a complete fusion of the granite waste which behaves like an inert non-plastic material similar to quartz. These results illustrate the prospects of utilizing muscovite granite waste in ceramic tile production.     

Potential use of Kraft pulp mill and flat glass cutting wastes in red ceramic products

This study assessed the incorporation of green liquor dregs, an inorganic solid waste from Kraft pulp mill, and flat glass cutting waste (FGCW) into red ceramic formulations. Since in Brazil sanitary landfills are still the main destination of industrial wastes such as those used in this research, a survey was conducted to identify the number of landfills in the region of origin of each waste and the amount of waste that could have this destination avoided. The effects of firing temperature and simultaneous incorporation of both industrial wastes were analyzed to optimize heat treatment and waste content in the formulation to manufacture red ceramic products. The influence of green liquor dregs and FGCW incorporation into clayey mass was evaluated varying waste content between 0 and 50 wt%. The specimens were prepared by uniaxial pressing, fired at 850 and 950 °C, and had their physical-mechanical properties and mineralogical and microstructural characteristics analyzed. The best results were obtained for the formulation with 10 wt% green liquor dregs and 30 wt% FGCW fired at 950 °C. This result highlights the potential of using green liquor dregs, a waste difficult to be recycled due to its chemical composition, associated with FGCW, which acts as a fluxing agent in ceramic formulations.     

环氧树脂含量对激光选区烧结制备多孔煤系高岭土陶瓷性能的影响

目前,我国对煤系高岭土资源的整体深加工技术水平较低,导致了资源浪费和环境污染。本文分别以煅烧煤系高岭土和环氧树脂为原料和粘结剂,利用激光选区烧结工艺制备多孔煤系高岭土陶瓷,研究了环氧树脂含量对多孔煤系高岭土陶瓷性能的影响。研究表明,制备的多孔煤系高岭土陶瓷主要物相为莫来石和方石英,其孔隙分布均匀。随着环氧树脂质量分数从10%增大到25%,多孔煤系高岭土陶瓷素坯的抗弯强度由0.17 MPa增大到0.32 MPa,多孔煤系高岭土陶瓷的抗弯强度由2.81 MPa减小到0.82 MPa,其气孔率由50.37%增大到59.69%。以煤系高岭土为原料,采用激光选区烧结工艺制备多孔陶瓷对煤系高岭土资源的开发利用具有较为重要的意义。     

Incorporation of wastes from granite rock cutting and polishing industries to produce roof tiles

The present work aimed at studying the incorporation of wastes from natural rock cutting and polishing to produce roof tiles. The sintered products incorporating the sludge were targeted to have similar or even enhanced properties in comparison to those made of a standard reference paste industrially used to fabricate concurrent products available in the market. Firstly, the raw materials, including the sludge, were characterised by particle size distribution, density, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal properties and loss on ignition. Different formulations were prepared to evaluate the effects of each component on plasticity of pastes, drying and firing processes, and on the final properties of the tiles. Finally, the most promising formulations were selected and characterised for sintered density, water absorption, and flexural bending strength. The results obtained made it possible to conclude about the possibility of producing roof tiles incorporating 10% of granite wastes having excellent properties (water absorption <6%, lower pyroplastic deformation index, and bending strength values of about 14 MPa and 38 MPa for the green and sintered products, respectively). Therefore, the sludge derived from the granite cutting and polishing industries can be classified as a by-product suitable to replace natural non-plastic raw material in traditional ceramic formulations. This will contribute to preserve non-renewable natural resources, while it allows minimization of the negative environmental impact due to its disposal.     

Recycling of inorganic waste in monolithic and cellular glass‐based materials for structural and functional applications

The stabilization of inorganic waste of various nature and origin, in glasses, has been a key strategy for environmental protection for the last decades. When properly formulated, glasses may retain many inorganic contaminants permanently, but it must be acknowledged that some criticism remains, mainly concerning costs and energy use. As a consequence, the sustainability of vitrification largely relies on the conversion of waste glasses into new, usable and marketable glass‐based materials, in the form of monolithic and cellular glass‐ceramics. The effective conversion in turn depends on the simultaneous control of both starting materials and manufacturing processes. While silica‐rich waste favours the obtainment of glass, iron‐rich wastes affect the functionalities, influencing the porosity in cellular glass‐based materials as well as catalytic, magnetic, optical and electrical properties. Engineered formulations may lead to important reductions of processing times and temperatures, in the transformation of waste‐derived glasses into glass‐ceramics, or even bring interesting shortcuts. Direct sintering of wastes, combined with recycled glasses, as an example, has been proven as a valid low‐cost alternative for glass‐ceramic manufacturing, for wastes with limited hazardousness. The present paper is aimed at providing an up‐to‐date overview of the correlation between formulations, manufacturing technologies and properties of most recent waste‐derived, glass‐based materials. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

A resource-saving technology for fabricating tile

The possibility of fabrication of ceramic tile from a mixture containing technogenic products including up to 20% cleaned mine water with a high content of calcium oxide and up to 35% alkali-containing waste is established. A nonfritted low-melting glaze is developed on the basis of sand, pegmatite, kaolin, zinc white, zircon concentrate, and calcium borate. The physicochemical properties of the crock and the coating are investigated.     

Usage of marble wastes in traditional artistic stoneware clay body

Recycling of industrial wastes aids environmentally friendly production and has the advantage of lowering costs. Marble production generates large amounts of waste. Recycling of such wastes by incorporating them into ceramic industry is a practical solution for pollution problem. The aim of this work is to assess the possibility of the recycling of marble wastes in the production of stoneware clay bodies as a raw material for ceramic artwork production. Five different clay body mixes containing marble waste up to 27% were prepared and evaluated for firing color, water emission, morphology, microstructure, thermal expansion coefficient and thermal behavior. The results of the tests show that the utilization of marble waste in stoneware body is feasible for ceramic artwork production.     

Synthesis and characterization of calcium silicate insulating material using avian eggshell waste

This work focuses on the synthesis of calcium silicate insulating material via solid state reaction using avian eggshell waste as alternative calcium source. The calcium silicate formulations were mixed in a molar ratio SiO₂:CaO (1:1) and fired at 1100 °C for 24 h. The calcium silicate formulations were characterized by XRD, TG-DTA, dilatometry, SEM/EDS, and thermophysical properties (thermal diffusivity, heat capacity per unit volume, and thermal conductivity). The synthesized calcium silicate materials are composed mainly of wollastonite with minor amounts of larnite and rankinite. It was found that a processing of the avian eggshell waste (raw eggshell waste and calcined eggshell waste) had an influence on the thermophysical properties. Calcium silicate pieces were prepared by uniaxial pressing at 82 MPa, curing, and then testing to determine their use as thermal insulating material. The microstructure was evaluated by SEM. The results showed that both raw and calcined avian eggshell wastes could be used as an alternative calcium source in the calcium silicate formulation. It was found that the calcium silicate pieces reached low thermal conductivity values (0.252–0.293 W/mK). Thus, the developed calcium silicate materials using avian eggshell waste act as a good thermal insulation ceramic material.     

Using statistical techniques to model the flexural strength of dried triaxial ceramic bodies

Due to the simplicity of experimental determination and sensitivity to raw materials and/or processing changes, bending strength is frequently used as a quality control parameter in the development and manufacture stages of floor and wall ceramic tiles. This configures the ideal scenario to apply the techniques of experiments design, often used in a lot of other areas, to model the dry bending strength of such ceramics bodies. In the present study, three different raw materials, namely a clay mineral, sodium feldspar and quartz, were selected and eight formulations thereof (triaxial compositions) were used to obtain the limiting conditions of the experiments design. Those formulations were then processed under conditions similar to those used in the ceramics industry: powder preparation (wet grinding, drying, granulation and humidification), green body preparation (pressing and drying) and characterization. The use of this methodology enabled the calculation of a regression model relating the dry bending strength with composition. After statistical analysis and a verification experiment, the significance and validity of the special-cubic model obtained was confirmed.     

Dense glass-ceramics by fast sinter-crystallization of mixtures of waste-derived glasses

Dense glass-ceramics were obtained by cold pressing and sinter-crystallization of a glass originated from the plasma gasification of municipal solid waste (“Plasmastone”) mixed with recycled soda-lime glass and kaolin clay. The optimum mixture featured 45% Plasmastone/45% soda-lime glass/10% kaolin clay and it was sintered according to a fast heat treatment (30 minutes at 1000°C with heating and cooling rates of approximately 40°C/min), mimicking that of industrial ceramic tiles. The fast treatment avoided extensive crystallization during heating, promoting the viscous flow. In this way, dense glass-ceramics with a water absorption below 0.7% could be produced. The developed tiles presented mechanical properties comparable to those of commercial ceramic tiles. Finally, the environmental impact assessment performed on these materials showed that the leaching of hazardous elements was particularly limited. Microprobe analyses indicated that heavy metals were incorporated in newly formed crystals, consisting mainly of hedenbergite, wollastonite, and iron oxide-rich “islands” surrounded by residual glass. The results show that Plasmastone, combined with recycled soda-lime glass and kaolin clay, may be converted in building materials, with a possible commercial exploitation.     

Recycling of granite waste and burnt coal cinder for the preparation of sintered permeable bricks

The sintered permeable brick was prepared using granite waste and burnt coal cinder (BCC) as raw materials to ensure the utmost utilization of both solid wastes. The effect of various parameters, such as the proportion of raw materials, granite particle size and sintering temperatures on the properties of the permeable brick were studied, and the relevant sintering mechanism was clarified. The differential scanning calorimetry curves indicate that the mixture of granite waste and BCC begins to melt at a lower temperature, which is lower than the temperature for melting them alone, so the use of them to prepare sintered bricks will reduce energy consumption. The optimal conditions for the preparation of the permeable bricks were determined as the mass ratio of granite waste to BCC of 80: 20, sintering temperature of 1150–1175°C, and granite particle size of .9–1.25 mm. It was found that the permeability and the flexural strength of the samples can reach 3.41 × 10 ⁻² cm/s and 4.2 MPa, respectively, which both exceed the requirements specified in the national standard of China.