Recycling of Secondary Aluminium Production Waste in Processing of Mullite Based Refractory Ceramics

Abstract

This work describes the studies to reuse secondary aluminium production waste (SAPW) derived from aluminium casting processes in the fabrication of mullite-based refractory ceramics. SAPW was characterized by using particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Secondary aluminium production waste (SAPW), quartz and Grolleg kaolin were mixed stoichiometrically, according to chemical formula of mullite (3Al(2)O(3) . 2SiO(2)) by ball milling. Cylindrical samples were consolidated by uniaxial dry pressing and sintered at different temperatures (up to 1350 degrees C). The phase and microstructural evolution, water absorption, bulk density, mechanical properties of sintered samples were investigated and refractory ceramics based on mullite were obtained.