Preparation of novel ceramic tiles with high Al2O3 content derived from coal fly ash

• A novel alumina-rich ceramic system was proposed to fabricate the ceramic tile.
• Macro-properties and microscopic structures of the samples were investigated.
• New ceramic system exerts great influences on the performance of the sample.
• The study provides deep insights into the usage of alumina-rich industry solid waste.

In order to take full advantage of coal fly ash (FA) with high alumina content, the present study proposed a novel method to fabricate the ceramic tile by using FA as the main raw material. The influences of FA content on the macro-properties and microscopic structures were systematically investigated. Results revealed that the rupture modulus of the sample containing 60 wt.% FA and 4 wt.% quartz can reach 51.28 MPa at 1200 °C. Furthermore, its corresponding water absorption capacity, apparent porosity, linear shrinkage are 0.47%, 1.1% and 13.51%, respectively, which all exceed the requirements for porcelain tiles. The excellent properties may be ascribed to the proposed alumina-rich ceramic system, which exerts great influences on the crystalline phase composition and the densification process of the sample. This study definitely paves the way for the efficient utilization of FA and provides deep insights into the usage of other alumina-rich industry solid waste.