Valorisation of boron mining wastes in the production of wall and floor tiles

Abstract

A huge volume of boron mining wastes is generated in boron producing countries every year, necessitating the need to find a viable valorisation solution urgently. Their potential in the production of ceramic tiles to curb energy consumption in the ceramics manufacture has been investigated. The 5-6 wt% waste-containing ceramic tile formulations proposed had a boron oxide (B2O3) content in the range from 1 to 33 wt%. Owing to the fluxing ability of B2O3, the sintering temperature of the developed wall tile ceramics decreased down 70 degrees C-1050 degrees C, sintering temperature of the developed floor tile ceramics decreased down to 1130 degrees C, 65 degrees C lower compared to benchmarked commercial ceramics. The mechanical, chemical and physical properties of the new compositions were comparable to those of typical commercial products. The developed wall tiles had a water absorption of 19.39% and 20.46 N/mm(2) strength providing the requirements of TS EN ISO 10545 standard, where floor tiles had a 0.49% water absorption and 38.43 Ni mm(2) strength. There is considerable scope to incorporate boron mining waste in the production of more sustainable ceramics at industrial scales. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.