Iron ore tailing: a waste material used in ceramic tile compositions as alternative source of raw materials

In the present study, three batch compositions were prepared utilizing iron ore tailing in the range of 45-60 wt%, clay 25-35 wt% and feldspar 15-20 wt%. The compacts were heated in the temperature range of 1100o-1150oC. All the samples heated at 1150oC possess very high cold crushing strength (>150 MPa) and high flexural strength (>60 MPa) with less than 0.1% water absorption. Such high mechanical strength is beneficial for floor tiles to prevent impact damage. The phase evolution during heating of the mixture of iron ore tailing, clay and feldspar have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) studies with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) of selected samples.