Obtainment of porcelain floor tiles added with petroleum oily sludge

This study focuses on the processing of vitrified floor tiles incorporated with a petroleum oily sludge. Floor tile formulations containing up to 5 wt% of the petroleum oily sludge in replacement of kaolin were prepared. The tile formulations were granulated by the dry process, pressed, and fired at temperatures between 1200 and 1250 °C using a fast-firing cycle. The specimens were characterized before and after firing. XRD was used to identify the crystalline phases present during sintering and SEM was used to show how the structure changes during densification. Three parameters were used to describe densification: linear shrinkage, water absorption, and flexural strength. The results showed that the petroleum oily sludge could be used as an alternative raw material in the floor tile formulations. The densification behavior of the floor tile pieces is influenced by the petroleum oily sludge addition and firing temperature. The vitrified floor tiles produced reached the technical characteristics of porcelain floor tiles, depending on petroleum oily sludge content and firing temperature.