Incorporation of waste ceramic blocks in structural ceramics

Abstract

In Brazil, Ceramics Industries produce bricks and ceramic tiles in practically all the country. In the southwestern region of Bahia are located some of these industries. A considerable proportion of the material produced do not pass the quality control for not having a uniform visual appearance or have cracks. These burned pieces are generally discarded, resulting in a big quantity of waste. The objective of this work is the characterization of this industrial waste and thus consign them to other industrial applications. Our results demonstrate that the burned waste have potential to be used for incorporation in common clay for structural ceramics, thereby avoiding its disposal in nature and reducing this environmental liability. Experimental bodies were tested with different quantities of waste. The common clay and the burned waste were characterized by XRD, TG/DTA, and SEM. The burned specimens were tested for mechanical strength, water absorption, bulk density, and apparent porosity. An incorporation of 10% of waste furnished the best results.