Preparation of Thermal Insulation Materials from Ferronickel Slag with Addition of Fly Ash Cenosphere

Abstract

Ferronickel slag is the fourth largest industrial waste in China, in urgent need of efficient treatment. In this study, a facile route for preparing thermal insulation materials from ferronickel slag with the addition of fly ash cenosphere (FAC) was developed based on thermodynamic calculation and experimental exploration. The experimental results showed that a high-quality insulation material with thermal conductivity of 0.4752 W/(m K), bulk density of 1.36 g/cm3, compressive strength of 49.13 MPa, water absorption of 16%, and linear shrinkage of 14.7% could be obtained when the ferronickel slag was sintered with the addition of 25 wt % FAC at 1200 °C for 2 h. The method is expected to provide a useful guide for value-added treatment of ferronickel slag.