The harnessing of the waste arising from Y-TZP dental ceramics manufactured by CAD/CAM to be used as alternative dental materials

Abstract

A large amount of yttria-stabilized zirconia (Y-TZP) waste is produced during the manufacture of dental prostheses by the CAD/CAM milling process. This work investigated the recycling and processing of zirconia waste powder (ZWP), generated from the manufacture of dental prostheses (CAD/CAM milling process). The physical and mechanical characteristics of the bodies produced with ZWP were evaluated. The received ZWP was calcined at 500 °C and de-agglomerated with a roll jar mill under different experimental conditions. The grinding condition with a relation between grinding medium mass (GM) and ZWP mass of 13 and a milling time of 90 min presented the best results. This procedure produced ZWP with the smallest mean particle size (0.4 μm) and the lowest tetragonal-monoclinic transformation (16.9%). The water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density, and mechanical properties were evaluated from ZWP non-deagglomerated and ZWP de-agglomerated after sintering at 1300 °C, 1400 °C, and 1500 °C. ZWP de-agglomerated samples reached bulk density, microhardness, and flexural strength values of 5.8 ± 0.1 g/cm3, 1523 ± 173 HV, and 342.8 ± 66.7 MPa, respectively. The achieved values of bulk density and microhardness were similar to those of commercial ZrO2 bodies processed under the same conditions, 6.0 ± 0.1 g/cm3 and 1412 ± 70 HV, respectively. But flexural strength of ZWP bodies was lower than that of commercial ZrO2, 680.5 ± 96.0 MPa. However, the achieved strength is higher than that observed for porcelain and glass-ceramic dental materials used for single-unit anterior or posterior prostheses (<200 MPa), which depicts the ZWP potential as an alternative low-cost and high-strength material in ceramic prostheses.