Industry-scalable wall tile composition based on circular economy

Abstract

Within the framework of the circular economy and waste recovery, this work deals with the possibility of manufacturing wall tiles whose bodies include waste in their formulation. The wastes selected are crushed scraps of defective fired tiles, marble dust residues and fly ash from thermal power plants. Fired tile waste is a material of interest for reuse due to its similarity to the product to be developed. Marble dust, from the manufacture and mechanical handling of marble blocks, is useful as a source of calcium oxide to replace the calcium carbonate which generates porosity. Fly ash, from the combustion of coal in thermal power stations, is a vitreous material that has undergone a thermal process at high temperature and can therefore be integrated into ceramic body compositions.The obtained results show the correct formulation of sustainable porous bodies from these wastes in combination with clay in different proportions. In this way, it is possible to manufacture porous substrates for tiles using a percentage of waste higher than 50wt%, obtaining appropriate properties in the fired product: linear shrinkage, water absorption, mechanical strength and moisture adsorption.