Reuse of Sanitary Ceramic Waste in the Production of Vitreous China Bodies

An experimental investigation of Sanitary Ceramic Waste (SCW) for use as raw material in the manufacture of vitreous china bodies is presented. The gradual substitution of feldspar by sanitary ceramic waste and its effects on the technical and physical properties of sanitary bodies have been studied. The rheological behavior of sanitary slip is improved using Na-electrolyte. The characterization of the fired vitreous bodies at 1230 ◦C shows that 10 wt. % SCW substitution is the ideal value for the composition of a vitreous china body.  FTIR and DRX analyses confirmed that the crystalline phases (quartz and mullite) are stable during the addition of sanitary ceramic waste with a significant increase in their intensities. SEM micrographs show an increase in the porosity when the addition of sanitary ceramic waste exceeds 10wt. %, as a result of the reduction of the vitrified phase. From physical-mechanical characterization, an improvement in flexural strength (33 to 41MPa), and a reduction in water absorption (0.36 to 0.31 %) were recorded. These positive results open very promising prospects for the valorization of sanitary ceramic waste, with many technical, economic, and environmental benefits.