| In the present study, dissolution unit’s waste of Kirka borax mine, Turkey (BW) was employed in different amounts
as a partial substitution for the marble in order to develop an experimental wall tile body composition. A series of
ceramic tile formulations were prepared with 2, 4, 6 and 9 wt% of BW incorporation into the batch compositions
and shaping by dry pressing under laboratory conditions. The obtained samples were single fast-fired at a peak
temperature of 1150oC for a total firing time of 38 min (from cold-to-cold) under industrial conditions. Some
technological properties of the resultant products, namely linear firing shrinkage, water absorption and bending
strength were determined as a function of increasing BW content in place of marble at these temperatures. The
phase contents of the starting raw materials and fired compositions of BW were determined by XRD. The relevant
polished surfaces of selected fired samples were examined using SEM and EDX. According to the results, increased
presence of BW compared to the standard wall tile formulations accelerated the vitrification process and improved
the physical properties of the body. The overall results indicated a prospect for using the BW as a raw material up
to 4 wt% for the production of a wall tile body, and with this recipe lower firing regime than that applied at the
factory (1150oC), could be employed. Rheological behaviour of the R2 formulation containing 4 wt% BW was studied
as a function of the deflocculant amount by means of viscosity analysis. It is possible to produce a wall tile at
1100o-1120oC according to Turkish Standard TS EN 14411.
[Keywords: Ceramics, Ceramic wall tile, Recycling, Boron waste] |
