The Use of Ornamental Stone Waste (OSW) as Raw Material for Porcelain Ceramic Tiles Production

Abstract

Despite the relevant contribution of the ornamental stone industry to the international economy, the large volume of waste generated during the production process is one of the main problems faced by the sector. Currently, the ceramic industry has shown to be a powerful alternative for the use of these wastes. In this way, this work aimed to evaluate the effects of the incorporation of ornamental stone waste (OSW) on the physical–mechanical properties of the ceramic coating mass. The study was carried out based on a 2³ factorial design, in which the defined input variables were the waste content (0 and 15 wt%), remaining time (30 and 60 min), and sintering temperature (1100 and 1150°C). The output response variables were: water absorption, apparent porosity, apparent specific mass, flexural strength, and linear firing shrinkage. The results showed that the incorporation of the waste in the ceramic coating mass does not affect the technological properties of the product, keeping within the technical requirements for porcelain tiles according to ABNT NBR ISO 13006:2020 standard.