Synthesis of a foam ceramic based on ceramic tile polishing waste using SiC as foaming agent

Due to the large amount of ceramic tile polishing waste generated in China, the recycling of this waste residue becomes important. Herein a foam ceramic was successfully produced by using ceramic tile polishing waste as main raw material. In this research, SiC was added as the foam agent, and the foaming mechanism was also investigated. The results showed that the best dosage of SiC was 1%. Furthermore, in order to obtain a foam ceramic with better structure, the sodium phosphate was added in raw materials as foam stabilizer. The influence of this addition on the microstructure and properties of foam ceramic was investigated. It was found that the optimum additive amount of sodium phosphate is 2-3%.