Emissions analysis from various industrial wastes to be used as raw material for ceramics

摘要

Waste from industrial processes is accumulated in different industries, in most cases without the necessary security control. This fact has led to the development of several methods to reuse or recycle this waste, and the mixture with clay for the production of ceramic material appears as a good alternative. In this case, the high temperature conditions used to obtain sintered products, lead to the combustion of all combustible materials present in the mixtures. The extreme cases are given by the waste called "pore formers", such as sawdust, discarded polystyrene from panels and packaging industries, and ground rubber. These materials completely burn during the heat treatments. The aim of this study is to analyze the emissions produced during heat treatment of diverse residues, as would happen during the firing of the bricks. Waste such as foundry sand, sludge from steel plants, sawdust, polystyrene, demolition residues, electric arc furnace dust, among others, are studied. Electrochemical sensor technology is used to detect pollutants as CO_2, CO, SO_2, HC, NO_x and laser technology for PM10. In all cases, the detected levels for these pollutants in laboratory essays are within the range thresholds for air quality in Argentina, but for polystyrene they are relatively high when compared with average levels of emissions in the lab, without ongoing heat treatments. However, some results indicate the need for analysis in the industrial environment in case of their application. From the obtained results it is concluded that it is determinant to analyze the environmental aptitude of these processes before being taken to industrial scales.