INVESTIGATION OF THE RAW MATERIALS FROM THE PRECISION CASTING PROCESS FOR VIABILITY EVALUATION OF RECYCLING THE GENERATED CERAMIC SHELL WASTE

Abstract

The goal of this study is evaluate the recycling potential of the solid waste generated in the precision casting industrial process. The methodology consists in the physical, chemical, mineralogical, and thermal (DTA) characterization of the raw materials used in the industrial process was carried out, as well as of the generated solid waste, called ceramic shell waste (CSW). The results obtained demonstrated that the silica raw material suffers transformation of phases. Analyzing the waste, it was verified that it constitutes the crystalline silica phase of quartz and, in this way, it must be benefited in order to separate the noble materials present, such as chamottes and zirconium components. Furthermore, the fraction of crystalline silica, which, if reused, may give fragility to the recycled ceramic shell due to abrupt volume changes characterized by the silica polymorphs, must be removed.