Utilization of aluminum dross residue waste in the fabrication of ceramic tiles

摘要

Aluminum dross residue is a by-product produced at secondary re-melt plants where aluminum scraps are recycled. In this study, aluminum dross residue was utilized as the main component in the fabrication of ceramic tiles for wall applications. The residue was used for value added products so as to reduce the landfill and environmental problems. The amount of aluminum dross residue used in the ceramic compositions varied in the range 50-90 wt.%. Other components in the ceramic compositions were glass powder from waste glass bottles and alumino-silicate based clays e.g. kaolin and ball clay. These materials acted as sintering aids by lowering sintering temperature to obtain dense ceramics below 1200°C. Raw materials were mixed thoroughly by ball milling and pressed uniaxially to form green ceramic bodies. Firing was carried out between 1140 and 1200°C with 4h holding time to obtain strong ceramic bodies. Overall, the synthesized ceramics had excellent desification characteristics when the amount of aluminum dross residue was less than 70 wt% in the ceramic composition. Low water absorption and porosity in ceramic bodies mainly came from the effect of glass powder and clays as sintering aids. The presence of mullite phase within the microstructure led to the strengthening effect of ceramics synthesized in this study.