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The benefits of MgO doping of alumina for maintaining a homogeneous grain structure have long been established. Therefore in this work a bespoke ink for Robocasting of alumina is developed based on the gelation of alginic acid using magnesium ions, thereby ensuring homogeneous MgO doping of the alumina green body. The shear thinning behavior of alginic acid based solutions was paired with the rheological properties of a partially coagulated colloidal suspension to allow high solid loading inks (up to 50 vol%) with good extrusion behavior. Shear thinning coefficients of n ~ 0.2 were recorded, with yield stresses of 250 Pa and stiffness values in the range 100‐1000 kPa. The printed alumina bars reached densities of >98% and unpolished strengths reached up to 326 ± 16 MPa after sintering at 0.4 mol/L magnesium chloride and 45 vol% alumina.

Reactive sintering of zircon and alumina and zirconia additions to mullite are well-established methods for improving the poor fracture toughness of mullite.While it is clear that transformation toughening is responsible for the improved toughness by addition of partially stabilized zirconia, it is not clear why adding unstabilized zirconia increases the toughness although microcracking and crack deflection have been suggested. Therefore, the fracture toughness of a mullite composite with 20 vol% unstabilized zirconia and a monolithic mullite were investigated at ambient conditions and at temperatures up to 1225°C. It was found that monoclinic zirconia increases the toughness at ambient conditions from the monolithic mullite value of 1.9 to 3.9 MPaÁm 1/2 . The toughness of the composite with zirconia remains relatively constant from ambient to 600°C but then decreases rapidly. The mechanism for the toughness enhancement as well as the reason for its variation with temperature are explained using changes in residual stress state as deduced using the sphere in shell model from the measured thermal expansion behavior.

Furnace bottom ash (FBA) is generated in significant quantities from coal fired power stations and is a problem when commercially viable reuse applications do not exist locally. Representative samples of FBA from the Kilroot power station in Northern Ireland have been milled, pressed and sintered at a range of temperatures to form new ceramic materials. The effect of adding recycled glass to the mix has been investigated. The optimum FBA ceramics were produced by sintering at 960°C and these had a density of 2.388 g/cm 3 , zero water adsorption indicating minimal open porosity, and a Vickers hardness comparable to commercially available glass-ceramics. The addition of 20% by weight of glass reduced shrinkage during sintering, while the samples maintained high density and hardness. This glass addition allows greater dimensional control during sintering to form FBA ceramic tiles. The research demonstrates that FBA can be processed into ceramics for use in higher value products compared to conventional use as lightweight aggregate. Further research is required to optimize processing and fully characterize material properties. This novel approach to managing FBA has potential to transform a problematic waste in Northern Ireland into a valuable resource.

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