Synergistic Sintering of Lignite Fly Ash and Steelmaking Residues towards Sustainable Compacted Ceramics

Abstract

The development of value-added ceramic materials deriving only from industrial by-products is particularly interesting from technological, economic, and environmental point of views. In this work, the synergistic sintering of ternary and binary mixtures of fly ash, steelmaking electric arc furnace dust, and ladle furnace slag for the synthesis of compacted ceramics is reported. The sintered specimens' microstructure and mineralogical composition were characterized by SEM-EDS and XRD, respectively. Moreover, the shrinkage, apparent density, water absorption, and Vickers microhardness (HV) were investigated at different sintering temperatures and raw material compositions. The characterization of the sintered compacts revealed the successful consolidation of the ceramic microstructures. According to the experimental findings, the ceramics obtained from fly ash/steel dust mixtures exhibited enhanced properties compared to the other mixtures tested. Moreover, the processing temperature affected the final properties of the produced ceramics. Specifically, a 407% HV increase for EAFD and a 2221% increase for the FA-EAFD mixture were recorded, by increasing the sintering temperature from 1050 to 1150 ∘ C. Likewise, a 972% shrinkage increase for EAFD and a 577% shrinkage increase for the FA-EAFD mixture were recorded, by increasing the sintering temperature from 1050 to 1150 ∘ C. The research results aim at shedding more light on the development of sustainable sintered ceramics from secondary industrial resources towards circular economy.

A systematic review of circular economy research in the construction industry

“…Hence, understanding the principles of "circular economy" within the context of sustainable development is necessary Jiménez-Rivero, de Guzmán-Báez and García-Navarro 2017Result identified the management stages affecting the on-site production and management of plasterboard in a construction work and proposed best practices for an enhanced on-site waste management. Karayannis et al (2017) The study produced sustainable ceramic materials derived from100% industrial waste by-product mixtures based on circular economy concept. Kylili and Fokaides (2017) Concuded that the sustainability of the built environment will come through the increased use of alternative, recycled, natural and unconventional construction materials and thermal insulation materials.…”

“…argued that efficient waste management within the industry could be achieved through the concept of CE. This may involve an inclusive and collaborative effort among different stakeholders within the industry (Tong and Tao, 2016).Although efficient utilization of construction waste is salient to sustainable development(Karayannis et al, 2017;Aneke and Awuzie, 2018), poor waste management monitoring remains a major challenge for the industry according to the reviewed studies. However, it is imperative to comprehensively evaluate the contribution of waste materials at various construction stages to environmental impacts(Hossain et al, 2019).…”