Structural Characterization of Bauxite Red Mud to Utilization in Ceramic Wall/Roofing Tile: Effect of Temperature on Mechanical Properties and Physic-Chemical Stability

This present research work is on the characterization of bauxite red mud (waste material) from Ngaoundal for the manufacture of ceramic products. After the extraction process, the raw material was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Morphology, mineral phases and chemical composition were determined by using energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (DSC-TGA), Infra-Red (IR), Particle size (PS) were also used. Results of red mud analysis show that major oxides were Fe2O3 (37.21%), Al2O3 (19.6%), SiO2 (7.68%), TiO2 (1.07%), Na2O (4.71%), and CaO (2.75%). These last oxides require low temperature to melt and act as binders which link particles of red mud during the sintering process. Presence of alkaline oxides is an appeal to reduce energy consumption during ceramic manufacture process and to protect our environment for sustainable development. Physical and mechanical properties of fired red mud showed that the firing shrinkage, bulk density, and flexural strength increase with firing temperature. Porosity and water absorption had the same pattern and they decreased with the increase of temperature. Chemical stability reveals that 10% material loss is obtained after 7 days of treatment under acid-base conditions.