Utilisation of municipal incinerator grate slag for manufacturing porcelainized stoneware tiles manufacturing

Porcelainized stoneware tiles containing up to 20 wt.% of municipal incinerator grate slag have been fabricated by cold uniaxial pressing and conventional fast firing cycles. The sinterability of these samples was investigated from density and shrinkage measurements together with mechanical (Vickers microhardness and Young's modulus) and esthetical (spot resistance and colour parameters analysis) properties. The comparison with the porcelainized stoneware tiles containing no waste suggest a good compatibility between the ceramic body and the waste that does not significantly change the properties of the final products and the conditions of the firing cycle. Nevertheless, the porosity increase, proportional to the waste content, causes a decrease in density, shrinkage, spot resistance and whiteness. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.