Characterization of glass-ceramics produced from waste materials

The crystallization behavior of glasses produced from two industrial wastes namely, thermal power plant fly ash and red mud from aluminum production, was investigated by means of Differential Thermal Analysis(DTA), X-ray Diffraction(XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) techniques. The major phase that was identified by x-ray diffraction analysis is Diopside[Ca(Mg,Al) (Si,Al)₂O₆]. Differences in the crystallites occurred in the microstructure of the samples were observed by SEM. Furthermore, Vickers microhardness values, density and chemical resistance of the samples were determined.