Reuse of wastes from the production of electrofused alumina in red ceramics

摘要

Abstract The reuse of industrial waste is an important tool to contribute to the sustainable development of different sectors. It is known that most companies do not have reuse policies, making the final disposal of waste in landfills or even inappropriately. In this context, the objective of this work was to study the reuse of the waste from the production of electrofused alumina in red ceramic. Initially, the electrofused alumina waste was characterized, being subsequently used in ceramic bodies to evaluate the properties of linear shrinkage, water absorption, open porosity and flexural rupture strength. Extruded specimens with dimensions of 120?×?30?×?20 mm3 were produced, being fired at temperatures of 750–1050 oC. The waste was used in contents of 0–10, replacing the commercial ceramic masses. The results of mineralogical analysis by XRD, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry were also evaluated. The waste characterization results show that its use is viable in the production of red ceramic materials. The results obtained in the specimens were also satisfactory, since the waste does not affect flexural strength and increases water absorption and open porosity in acceptable levels. The reason for this is the formation of mullite nucleation due to the clayey mass used and the presence of corundum in the electrofused alumina waste, as proven by XRD and SEM. Through these results, it is possible to conclude that the use of waste is viable for the applications of red ceramic materials.