Use of chamotte post-consumption in the formulation of a refractory paste as a replacement of the aluminum oxide

Abstract

The development of refractory ceramic materials has been derived from industries that use high temperatures in their processes. The use of post-consumer material for the formulation of refractory pastes is of interest for sustainable development with economic and environmental impact. The objective of this work is to study the effect of the addition of post-consumption chamotte in a refractory paste as an alumina replacement. The chamotte was obtained from porous refractory insulating bricks that fulfilled their life cycle in the ceramic industry. These were subjected to a comminution process using a ball mill until it was passed through 50 mesh. The chamotte was characterized by X-ray diffraction. Four mixtures were formulated and sintered at 1600 °C. Pyrometric cone (ASTM C-24), density and porosity (ASTMC-20), linear contraction and dilatometry were evaluated. The results indicate that the addition of postconsumption chamotte reduces the pyrometric cone of the refractory obtained, the sample that does not contain chamotte has a cone over 36 and the sample of higher content has a cone 32, which are suitable for use as a refractory brick. With the addition of chamotte, the density of the samples was increased and the porosity and contraction decreased. Finally, in the dilatometry test, changes in the dilatometric curve are evidenced, which are attributed to a greater formation of liquid phase and fines due to the contribution made by silica and K₂O present in the chamotte.