Incorporation of granite sludge in ceramic body formulations

Granite process industries generate a large amount of wastes, which pollute and damage the environment. This work aims to characterize and evaluate the possibilities of using the granite sawing wastes in ceramic industry. Granite wastes in the form of sludge, obtained from granite cutting industry. Their characterization was carried out with the determination of physical and chemical composition by DTA, TGA, and XRD. Then they wereincorporated in the batch formulations of porcelain tiles in order to evaluate the suitability of addition of wastes in ceramic compositions. The specimens were also tested to determine the water absorption and three pointsbending flexural strength. Microstructural evaluation was carried out by scanningelectron microscopy. The results showed that reformulated ceramic bodies had technological characteristics similar to those of conventional granite tiles. The amount of the granite waste contribution in the laboratory and manufactory scales was 30 and 4-8 wt.%, respectively.