Application of the Final Flotation Waste for Obtaining the Glass-ceramic Materials

Abstract

This work describes the investigation of the final flotation waste (FFW), originating from the RTB Bor Company (Serbia), as the main component for the production of glass-ceramic materials. The glass-ceramics was synthesized by the sintering of FFW, mixtures of FFW with basalt (10%, 20%, and 40%), and mixtures of FFW with tuff (20% and 40%). The sintering was conducted at the different temperatures and with the different time duration in order to find the optimal composition and conditions for crystallization.The increase of temperature, from 1100 to 1480°C, and sintering time, from 4 to 6h resulted in a higher content of hematite crystal in the obtained glass-ceramic (up to 44%). The glass-ceramics sintered from pure FFW (1080°C/36h) has good mechanical properties, such as high propagation speed (4500 m/s) and hardness (10800 MPa), as well as very good thermal stability. The glass-ceramics obtained from mixtures shows weaker mechanical properties compared to that obtained from pure FFW. The mixtures of FFW with tuff have a significantly lower bulk density compared to other obtained glass-ceramics. Our results indicate that FFW can be applied as a basis for obtaining the construction materials.