Materials Research

EPA Grant Number: X83254101-0

Center: CEER at Alfred University

Title:  Material and Environmental Sustainability in Ceramic Processing

Investigator: Carty, William

Institution: Alfred University

Project Period:  September 1, 2005 – June 1, 2006

Research Category: Congressionally Mandated Center

 

 

Description:

 

Objectives/Hypotheses:

The proposed experiments are to examine the feasibility of froth flotation for the recycling of glaze waste occurring in the whiteware industry.  Using a “reverse flotation” method, glass frit powder is preferentially separated from other minerals and ceramic pigments.

 

The ceramic whitewares industry manufactures several hundred million units of dinnerware and other products each year.  Currently, a serious problem exists in that water and batch materials are inefficiently used and a large amount of waste, containing lead and other hazardous materials, is generated.  The waste is produced as a slurry where different formulas have been mixed into an unusable composition.  The main objective of this research is to reduce the consumption of water and raw materials used in ceramic processing, thereby eliminating the hazardous waste stream going to landfills.  Waste solids will be selectively separated from the processing water based on particle surface chemistry so the components can be reused to make sellable products.  The intent is to develop an industrially feasible system for separating the solids and handling the recycled materials.

 

Approach:

It is proposed that froth flotation technology offers a unique opportunity to specifically separate the glass frit powder from the waste stream by exploiting differences in particle surface chemistries.  Glass frit powder is separated by a “reverse flotation” method in which minerals and ceramic pigments in glaze waste are floated and frit powder settles down.  Recovered frit can then be directly recycled into the process as a raw material without any concerns for product quality.  Therefore, froth flotation experiments will be conducted to determine the feasibility of separating frit from the pigments in the waste stream.

 

Expected Results:

The principal result of the project will be the creation of a new waste-handling standard for whiteware production which reduces dependence on natural resources and has the potential to dramatically reduce waste (both hazardous and non-hazardous) sent to land fills.  For Niagara Ceramics alone, solid waste associated solely with the glazing process is on the order of 500,000 pounds per year, while water consumption is approximately 10 million cubic feet per year.  It is expected that this waste can be reduced by at least half, and if entirely successful, by approximately 85%.  The results of this research will then be initially transferred to other traditional ceramic manufacturers and then used as a template to address other ceramic manufacturing industries as appropriate.

 

Supplemental Keywords:

Froth flotation, Surfactant, Glaze, Waste, Frit, Pigment