Characterization of Granulometric Fractions of Ash from Boiler Burnt Sugarcane Bagasse

摘要

In the municipal area of Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ several ceramic industries are involved with a significant production of bricks and tiles. These ceramic products can serve as matrices for the incorporation of industrial residues such as the ash of sugarcane bagasse used as fuel in the boilers of the sugar and alcohol plants. The incorporation of ashes in ceramics is a solution that eventually can cause an improvement on the properties of the material. The objective of this work is to characterize granulometric fractions of sugarcane bagasse ash with particle sizes less than 149, 75 and 44 μm aiming at the ash incorporation into red ceramics. Chemical, mineralogical and microstructural characterization were carried out in the granulometric fractions. The results showed that the granulometric fractions present as main crystalline phase the cristobalite and that the ashes with smaller particle sizes can improve the densification of the ceramic body by the formation of more liquid phase during firing, due to the presence of less silica and more alkaline- and alkaline-earth oxides than the original ash.