Densification behavior of floor tiles added with sugarcane bagasse ash waste

In this work, the effect of sugarcane bagasse ash waste on the densification behavior of vitrified floor tiles was investigated. Four tile formulations containing up to 5 wt. % of sugarcane bagasse ash waste as a replacement of quartz were prepared. The floor tile manufacturing route consisted of the following steps: powder preparation by the dry process, uniaxial pressing, and firing at temperatures between 1190 °C and 1250 °C using a fast-firing cycle. The densification was measured by three parameters: linear shrinkage, water absorption, and flexural strength. The microstructure was evaluated by XRD and SEM. The experimental results indicated that the densification behavior of floor tile formulations was influenced by both the amount of sugarcane bagasse ash waste and the maximum firing temperature. Microstructural variation occurred during firing. However, the use of sugarcane bagasse ash waste had little effect on phase evolution during the fast-firing cycle. An optimum amount of sugarcane bagasse ash waste (up to 2.5 wt. %) for the replacement of quartz allowed for the highest quality production of floor tile materials.