CHARACTERIZATION OF WASTE MOLDING SANDS, FOR THEIR POSSIBLE USE AS BUILDING MATERIAL

摘要

It was done a physicochemical and mineralogical characterization of the molding sand wastes of the iron casting process, being these sands the main residue of the process, representing 65 to 85 % of the total waste. According with the obtained results, the chemical composition of the material (expressed in weight percentages) is the following: 77.9 SiO_2, 6.6 Al_2O_3, 8.56 Fe_2O_3, 0.14 TiO_2, 2.48 MgO, 0.34 K_2O, 1.52 CaO and 1.03 Na_2O. The major mineral phases found were: Albite, Orthoclase, Quartz (anorthic) and Laihunite, and as minority phases were present both the Berlinite and the Montrnorillonite. Furthermore the material presented a thick granulometry, around 60% corresponds to a particle size of 53μm. According to this characterization, these residues could be used in the manufacture of construction materials such as bricks, blocks, or as a cementing material.