Material Science & Engineering International Journal Study for Vitreous Waste Recovery in the Formulation of Heavy Clay Ceramics Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Abbreviations: (SiO 2 ): Silica; (Al 2 O 3 ): Alumina; (STD): Standard Mass; (Fe 2 O 3 ): Iron Oxide; (CaO): Calcium, (MgO): Magnesium; (K 2 O): Potassium; (FRX): Fluorescence Spectrometry Introduction Over time, the planet’s natural resources, formerly considered abundant, have been used indiscriminately generating significant amounts of solid waste. However, this practice has caused serious environmental problems. The civil construction sector, particularly in the manufacture of inputs, is constantly increasing with great potential impact [1-4]. Although the construction industry is responsible for relevant environmental demand. It has a major positive impact on society and the economy accounting for 30 % of industrial employment in the European Union (EU) and contributing about 10.4 % to the GDP of the EU [5,6]. In Brazil, the sector saw a 3% decline in the national GDP, from 8% to 5%. The economy already gives indications that will grow again which will improve the construction market [7]. Solid waste is generated in all manufacturing processes. Therefore, recycling or re-use within the same process can be a reasonable way of preserving the environment. However, increasing the value of by-products using the waste recovery methodology has been a sustainable alternative to avoid their disposal in soil conditioners or landfills [3]. Industrial ecology is an emerging integrated tool to guide industries to use materials, energy sustainably and reduce waste generation. Such a tool considers industrial wastes as by-products or alternative materials that can feed another industry [8]. Currently produced ceramic coatings are generally composed of three distinct layers: the ceramic support, the englobe and the enamel [9]. Which demands a large amount of raw material generating a series of process wastes? Considering the great production of ceramic coatings and their high potential for tailings generation (approximately 10 tons per 100,000 m² produced) [10]. It becomes essential to study the reuse of waste from the coatings ceramic manufacturing process, more precisely from the enamel preparation or enameling lines. Ceramic materials are among those most traditionally used in the construction sector. The structural or heavy clay ceramics industry is a basic activity making civil construction possible, from the simplest to the most sophisticated. This segment which mainly produces perforated bricks, solid bricks, slab components, hollow and structural blocks, tiles, shackles and rustic floors. Is very important in generating income in the Brazilian industrial sector [11]. For masonry, heavy clay ceramic have been an important building material for a long time. The annual global of ceramic for masonry production is currently around 1400 billion and its demand is expected to grow steadily. Such a productive increase demands a large amount of raw material which generates environmental problems related to the scarcity of natural resources [12,13]. Although the sector has a great environmental degrading potential due to mineral extraction by the high consumption of clay. The manufacture of red ceramics is able to absorb high amounts of solid residues from several segments, mainly due to the large volumes involved, allows greater tolerance in the composition of its mass. This factor causes the number of researches to increase the incorporation of a series of residues in ceramic mass, such as glass [14,15], ashes of the most diverse sources [16-18], mining wastes [19], sludge from a wide variety of treatment sources [20- 22], waste from heavy clay ceramic process [23-26] and other wastes. Volume 1 Issue 2 - 2017 1 Department of Ceramic Engineering, Centro Universitário Barriga Verde, Brazil 2 Esmalglass-Itaca Group, Brazil 3 University of Extremo Sul Catarinense, Brazil *Corresponding author: Jordana Mariot Inocente, Department of Ceramic Engineering, Centro Universitário Barriga Verde, Brazil, Email: Received: August 07, 2017 | Published: August 24, 2017 Research Article Material Sci & Eng Int J 2017, 1(2): 00010 Abstract The study was to analyze the technical feasibility of the incorporation of vitreous waste, from enamel decanters, into a heavy clay mass for fired clay ceramic structural block production. The analyzed waste is considered as class I-Dangerous due to the presence of toxic elements in the leachate above the Brazilian waste classification standard. Six formulations made the standard mass and others with different percentages (2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 %) of the added waste. Chemical and mineralogical characterization tests of the raw materials carried out. The technological properties evaluated were linear thermal retraction of drying and firing, loss on fire, water absorption and mechanical resistance. The results presented in the formulations demonstrated the feasibility of using up to 20 % by weight in standard mass. Where it was possible to decrease the water absorption and increase the mechanical strength. This work also contributes to the reduction of the environmental impact and favors the sustainable development of the heavy clay ceramics contributing to the improvement of the quality of the pieces. Keywords: Heavy clay ceramic; Waste recovery; Vitreous waste; Fired clay ceramic structural block