A Novel Fabrication Approach for Ceramic Tiles from Red Mud and Steel Slag

In order to investigate the structure and performance of specific ceramic materials, red mud, steel slag, and talc, which are commonly used as ceramic building materials, were fabricated by molding. The influences of particle size and composition on the properties of the ceramic materials were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that the main crystalline phases were diopside and anorthite. The ceramics possessed the best mechanical properties when sintered at about 1170°C, the particle size of the raw material powders was less than 74 μm, and the ceramic composition comprised 60–70% red mud, 20–30% steel slag, and 10% talc. The results of this work are useful for recycling of steel slag and red mud on a large scale.