Phase variation and mechanical properties of waste calcium carbonate to substitute quartz in composite slab production

Abstract

Owing to the fast-emerging nature and rapid advancements in the construction industry, huge volumes of marble dust (MD) are generated as reject during slab cutting in marble processing, causing significant environmental hazards. Nowadays, quartz composite slabs have increasingly been preferred in building works due to their excellent hygienic property and mechanical strength. Composite slab is produced using micronized quartz as filler, the grinding of which is an energy-intensive process. Substitution of micronized quartz with MD at different percentages was investigated in natural form and after roasting. Natural MD offered appreciable physical properties closer to those of a quartz composite slab. Physical properties slightly retrograded by quartz supplementation in the raw form. Roasting the filler led to the formation of rounded Ca–silicate. Wollastonite was the first phase formed after sintering at the lowest MD percentage and shortest roasting times. Larnite became dominating phase first by increasing MD percentage and roasting time, and then calcio-olivine formed. Physical characterization test results demonstrated that hardnesses of new phase and particle shape were the key parameters that improved slabs’ mechanical properties of. Hard rounded larnite particles improved mechanical behavior of slabs having the synergic effect of quartz, whereas wollastonite did not show a significant effect.