Preparation of Self-Releasing Glaze Ceramic Materials Utilizing Red Mud

Abstract

Red mud is the main solid residue generated during the production of alumina by means of the Bayer process. In order to expand the comprehensive utilization field of red mud and develop new ceramic products with low radioactivity utilizing red mud, the exploration of preparing self-releasing glaze ceramic materials using red mud as raw material was carried out. During the exploration, the self-releasing glaze ceramic materials with low radiation level were produced by normal pressure sintering process using the main ingredients of red mud, red sandstone, barium carbonate and ball clay. The properties of the self-releasing glaze ceramic samples were investigated by the measurements of mechanical properties, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and radiation measurement. The results show that the self-releasing glaze ceramic materials have good mechanical properties (the bulk density, 3.10 g/cm3; the compressive strength, 78.00 MPa). Adding barium carbonate to the raw materials and then calcine them to ceramics, which can extend the sintering temperature range and the radioactivity level of the self-releasing glaze ceramic materials can be reduced to that of the natural radioactive background of Guilin Area, Karst landform (the average 60 Total/Timer).