Description and effective parameters determination of the production process of fine-grained artificial stone from waste silica

Abstract

In this study, waste silica from Alborz silica mineral processing factory was recycled as raw material for the production of a novel artificial stone to be used in civil construction. The size of the waste materials of this plant is less than 100 microns. Waste silica powder was mixed with unsaturated polymer resins as a binder. Under pressure, vibration and vacuum conditions, artificial stone with high compressive strength of 100 MPa, the tensile strength of 37 MPa and flexural strength of 98 MPa was produced within 15 min. Furthermore, in all of the produced artificial stones, due to the usage of resin, the flexural strength is higher than the tensile strength whereas, in natural stones, tensile strength is more than flexural strength. Moreover, using bentonite made a positive effect on the strength and quality of the stone, whereas kaolin declined the quality and the resistance of the artificial stone. Besides, the produced artificial stone has a lower specific gravity (2.14 g/cm3) and water absorption (0.06 g) than natural stone, which is one of the most prominent advantages of artificial stone. What’s more, low corrosion and were obtained against diluted sulfuric acid (0.0097 g) and hydrochloric acid (0.0313 g). Besides, due to the presence of impurities in the waste materials of Alborz silica factory, the produced artificial stones are brown. To reach the desired color, there are several metal oxides which could be added to the combination.