Preparation of glaze using electric-arc furnace dust as raw material

Abstract

Large industrial productions generate large amounts of waste, and researchers are investigating alternatives to reuse them. For instance, these wastes can used to produce ceramic pigments in the ceramic tile industry. Electric-arc furnace dust (EAFD) is waste generated in the steelmaking process through the volatilization of metals from scrap and exhibits great potential for its use as a raw material in the production of ceramic pigments. The aim of this study is to produce glazes containing EAFD for ceramic tiles. The EAFD was characterized via laser diffraction, wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG), and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) analyses. Two glaze types (BGS and CBT) were produced with 2, 4, 6, and 8 wt.% EAFD and characterized via the Commission Internationale de I´Éclairage (CIE) L*a*b* values, abrasion resistance, and XRD. According to the particle size distribution analysis, the average particle size of the EAFD is 0.770 μm. Further, the chemical WDXRF analysis revealed that 44.60% of the EAFD is iron oxide and 26.24% is zinc oxide. According to the structural XRD analysis, the major crystalline phases of the EAFD are zincite, franklinite, magnetite, and other phases with spinel structures. The EAFD exhibits stability close to the firing temperature of the ceramic tiles (1130 °C). In addition, the ceramic tiles covered with both glazes became darker with increasing EAFD amount. These samples obtained a PEI 3 rating based on the abrasion analysis. Keywords: Glaze, Ceramic tiles, Electric-arc furnace dust (EAFD)