Utilization of marble waste as a sustainable replacement for calcareous in the manufacture of red-firing wall tiles

Abstract

Marble waste generated in large amounts in the ornamental rock industry needs to be disposed of in a sustainable way and valorized. In this respect, this work analyzed the use of marble waste as a sustainable raw material in manufacturing red-firing wall tiles, replacing the natural calcareous material by up to 15 wt%. For this purpose, four red-firing wall tile pastes containing marble waste were pressed into rectangular pieces and fired between 1100 °C and 1180 °C using a fast-firing cycle. The red-firing wall tile specimens produced were tested to determine their technical properties (linear shrinkage, water absorption, apparent density, and three-point flexural strength), phase analysis by XRD, and microstructural analysis by SEM. The densification behavior and technical properties of these specimens were influenced by the incorporation of marble waste and firing temperature. The results showed that this waste is highly compatible for the manufacture of high-quality red-firing wall tiles, meeting the normative requirements (water absorption and flexural strength) of group-BIII of ISO 13006. The marble waste may fully replace the natural calcareous used in the manufacture of this type of tile material, contributing to its recycling and valorization with positive repercussions for both the ornamental rock and ceramic industries.