Using ceramic tile polishing waste in foam ceramic production

In this study, it is aimed to produce the foam ceramic part of high and double layer (foam ceramic + porcelain tile) floor tiles, which are produced by a private enterprise, at a lower cost. For this purpose, the production of foam ceramics has been ensured by the high amount use of glazed porcelain tile polishing waste, which is the waste of the enterprise itself, in the ceramic body. As the foaming agent, silicon carbide with an average grain size of 8.88 µm, which is also used in the standard foam ceramic body, was preferred; however, production was possible with a lower rate of foamer. In addition, the sintering peak temperature, which was 1200 ºC in the standard ceramic body, was reduced to 1170 °C with new ceramic bodies using 35% (by weight) polishing waste. Firing times were kept constant for 2 hours at peak temperature. With this study, it was tried to obtain the optimum recipe combination and "sintering condition with the high level of waste content of the foam ceramics, which are in the innovative product class and stand out with their. lightness. The reference product is based on the enterprise's own foam ceramic recipe. Trial prescriptions were created using the Seger formulation method and tablet trials of each recipe were made. The cassette trials of prescriptions that give positive results in tablet trials were made. As the characterization studies, the expansion behaviors of the products with optical dilatometer, stereo microscope and scanning electron microscope, pore distribution and dimensions, phase analysis with XRD device, frost resistance, compression strengths, thermal shock resistances and porosity rates were determined, and these properties were compared with the standard. At the end of the study, foam ceramic recipe with lower cost than standard and physical properties close to the standard was obtained. Keywords: Foam ceramic, Foaming by decomposition method, Silicon carbide, Polishing waste.