The research focuses on the utilization of hard rock dust for formulating ceramic glazes. The rock dust was collected from Maddhapara Granite Mining area, Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Chemical compositions of raw materials were analyzed by XRF. Rock dust is characterized by high SiO2, K2O, and Na2O with low content of ferromagnesian element. For Rock dust minor amounts of components may be presents, which will mostly affect the color of the fired product (Fe2O3,MnO,TiO2,Cr2O3). Others (MgO,K2O,Na2O) will act as fluxes and may have a strong effect during sintering. Ceramic glazes containing up to 30 wt% rock dust were prepared. The glaze slurries were applied onto ceramic tiles, which were sintered at 1050 to 1100°C with slow and rapid heating rate. Different glaze mixtures containing rock dust were prepared and analyzed for micro hardness and glossiness. Microstructures of the ceramic glaze were observed by FESEM (Field emission scanning electron microscopy). The results indicated that the properties of ceramic glaze were better sintering with slow heating rate and confirmed that dust can be used in glaze formulation. Therefore utilization of hard rock dust in glaze formulation may be new possibility for recycling and conserving natural resources.
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