A influência do uso de um resíduo siderúrgico no setor de cerâmica vermelha

Abstract

There is a constant concern in organizations about the optimization of the manufacturing processes of ceramic products, mainly in the energy input that represents one of the main costs in the enterprise. As a result, the interest in materials that can influence in this sense has grown. The main studies carried out involve the use of residues from different industrial sectors as a part of these inputs. In this context, the research aimed to use the residue from the blast furnace cleaning system, where is produced the pig iron, in the ceramic mass, in order to reduce the consumption of biomass. That way, it will be possible to minimize expenses in the destination of residues and in the use of natural resources, such as clay and biomass in the sintering process. The residue and the ceramic mass were characterized by the X Ray Fluorescence, X Ray Diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) tests. The residue was incorporated into the ceramic mass in the percentages of 5, 10, 15 and 20% being sintered in the temperatures of 800, 850 and 900 °C, in order to identify the adequate temperature and concentration for manufacturing the blocks when compared to the material without residue sintered in 850 °C. To evaluate the formulations, tests of water absorption, apparent porosity, apparent density, linear shrinkage, mass loss and flexural strength were performed. According to these tests results, the temperature that showed the best results for the use of residue was at 800 °C. Excepting for the increment in the apparent porosity and in the mass loss, its use did not change the linear shrinkage and the water absorption remained inside the allowed range by ABNT NBR 15270 for sealing blocks. The flexural strength was higher than 4Mpa, a value accepted for blocks, except for the samples with 10% that showed this value for higher temperatures and this result may have been from a failure in the homogeniz ation of the mixture. This reduction of temperature is estimated to contribute with an economy of 6% of biomass.