Valorisation of firewood ash waste for fired clay ceramics production

Abstract

The objective of this work was to investigate the valorisation of firewood ash waste as an alternative raw material for clay ceramic production, through replacement of industrial plastic clay up to 20 wt.%. For this purpose, clay ceramic pieces were produced by uniaxial pressing and fired at temperatures ranging from 800 °C to 1100 °C. The technical properties of the fired clay ceramic pieces have been determined. It was found that the technical properties of the clay ceramic pieces depend on the firewood ash waste amount and firing temperature. The fired pieces incorporated with up to 20 wt.% of firewood ash waste showed a water absorption level of 9.90 to 16.62 % and flexural strength of 4.12 to 12.02 MPa, indicating their conformity for clay ceramic production (bricks and roofing tiles). Obtained results confirmed the feasibility of valorisation of firewood ash waste in the production of fired clay ceramics.