Recycling of Afyon-Iscehisar marble waste in transparent stoneware glaze recipes

Abstract

The present study focuses on the recycling of marble waste, generated by the marble industry for producing transparent stoneware glazes. The marble waste came from a marble-cutting plant located in Afyon-Iscehisar, Turkey. Ceramic stoneware glazes containing up to 40 wt% waste were prepared. The stabilized glaze slurries were applied onto stoneware tiles, which were sintered at 1000 degrees C. Five different glaze mixtures containing marble waste were prepared and evaluated for firing color, water emission, and thermal behavior. Microstructural evolution was carried out by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the marble waste can be used in transparent stoneware glaze production, resulting in a new possibility for recycling this waste and conserving natural resources. After 20 wt% waste addition, development of opaque glaze surface texture occurred because of high calcium oxide incorporation to the system.