UTILIZING THE USED CATALYST FROM REFINERY FCC UNITS AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR KAOLIN IN FORMULATING CERAMIC FRITS

Frits are materials of a vitreous nature which are used for obtaining the glaze used to coat glazed ceramic tiles. One of the raw materials usually employed in preparing frits is kaolin, which provides the aluminium and part of the silicon they contain.This study investigates the possibility of utilizing the used catalyst from the FCC (fluidized catalyst cracking) units involved in petroleum refining, to substitute for kaolin as a raw material in the preparation of ceramic frits. On assessing the aesthetic and technical characteristics (whiteness, gloss, microhardness, etc.) of the glazes obtained from two frits that were prepared by substituting kaolin with the industrial waste mentioned above, no important differences were observed relative to the characteristics of the glazes obtained from the standard frits.