Characterization of Slate Powder Wastes from Minas Gerais - Brazil

Research and development related to the processing of recycled materials has grown progressively in recent times, as scientists endeavour to integrate sustainability criteria, depletion of natural resources, reducing the energy of technological processes involving extraction and processing of raw materials, etc. When it comes to processing slate, industries have to pass over several steps ranging from the extraction of rock blocks until the final products consisting of plates, leaving behind a considerable amount of waste in the form of a mud composed mainly of water, lubricants and crushed rock. This waste with no defined destination accumulates in yards, reservoirs and streams, affecting the environment. Slate powder has great prospects for recovery, recycling and further applications once it has chemical composition and components similar to raw materials used in ceramic and building construction industries. Therefore, a complete characterization of this powder is important and here we present some results of XRD, SEM, EDS, G3 morphology and thermal analysis of slate powder samples from the southeastern state of Minas Gerais in Brazil.