CERAMIC TILE WASTES AS PARTIAL SUBSTITUTION TO AGGREGATES IN CONCRETE

Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter presents the problem and its setting. It includes introduction, background of

the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, significance of the study, conceptual

framework, scope and delimitation, and definition of terms.

INTRODUCTION

Aggregate and cement are the most important constituents used in concrete production.

They are also the essential materials needed for the construction industry. This certainly led to

continuous and increasing demand of natural materials used for their production. So this

research will focused on ceramic tile wastes as partial substitution to aggregates in concrete.

Ceramic tiles have quickly become one of the most popular types of materials used in a

home but often times home owners don’t understand exactly what they are.  Ceramic tile is

made up of sand, natural products, and clays and once it has been molded into shape they are

then fired in a kiln.  When making ceramic tiles they can either be glazed or unglazed, but the

majority of homeowners have glazed ceramic tiles in their home.

Ceramic tiles are important construction materials used in almost all buildings. The

production of these tiles normally starts from raw material, grinding and mixing, granulating by

spray drying, pressing, firing and/or polishing and glazing. Waste mud, which is the sediment of

washed down particles from these manufacturing processes is approximately 2 wt% of the final

products. This mud which contains both coarse particles (feldspar, quartz, and ground fired

tiles) and fine particles (clay minerals such as kaolinite and mica) is far too impure to be re-used

in tile production, so it is normally disposed of as waste in landfills. Elimination of this waste mud
has become more and more problematic due to the huge amount of this waste produced each

year and the increasing cost of disposal. One way forward to solve this problem is by utilizing

this waste for other purposes (D. Wattanasiriwech et al, 2009).

In accordance to the need for the utilization of the natural resources emerges a growing

concern for protecting the environment and a need to preserve natural resources, such as

aggregates, by using alternative materials that are discarded as a waste. Ceramic wastes are

produced as a result of the ceramic processing. These wastes cause soil, air and groundwater

pollution. The pollutant of ceramic industry which are mud and tile are coming from the ceramic

plant’s refinery systems are stored in the waste disposal site of the plant.

There is a high concentration of Zn in the refinery mud coming from the unit of glaze

plant. Tile waste does not pollute the environment. There are number of hazardous wastes used

in stabilization/solidification (S/S) technique. These techniques are used in the industry for

different types of wastes materials. Stabilization is the process of modifying the mechanical,

chemical and hydraulic properties of a waste residue to produce a more environmentally safe,

economical, and low maintenance waste disposal sites (H.Koyuncu et al, 2004)

The amount of tile waste on earth is enough for use as an aggregate in concrete. Tile is

produced from natural materials sintered at high temperatures. There are no harmful chemicals

in tile. Waste tiles cause only the apparition of pollution. However some parts of tiles are used in

cotto as flooring and also flooring in tennis courts, walkways, cycling paths and gardens as a

ground material. Therefore waste tiles are stored in factory fields because of their economical

value. Nevertheless, each year approximately 250,000 tons of tiles are worn out, while 100

million tiles are used for repairs. These waste materials can be recycled to save money

(İ.B.Topçu and M. Canbaz, 2007).

 Ceramic waste can be transformed into useful coarse aggregate. The properties of

ceramic waste coarse aggregate are well within the range of the values of concrete making

aggregates. The properties of ceramic waste coarse aggregate concrete are not significantly

different from those of conventional concrete. The use of ceramic waste coarse aggregate

concrete has increased because it has various advantages over other cementitious materials

(H.Binici, 2007).

It has been estimated that about 30% of the daily production in the ceramic industry

goes to waste. This waste is not recycled in any form at present. However, the ceramic waste is

durable, hard and highly resistant to biological, chemical and physical degradation forces. As

the ceramic waste is piling up every day, there is pressure on the ceramic industries to find a

solution for its disposal. Meanwhile, conventional crushed stone aggregate reserves are

depleting fast, particularly in some desert regions of the world. Use of inorganic industrial

residual products in making concrete will lead to sustainable concrete design and greener

environment (RM. Senthamarai and P. D. Manoharan, 2005)

Therefore, one of the most serious problems of the world has been related to the remove

the wastage and reusing of it. A large quantity of wastage is produced annually in all countries.

Usually, the wastage related to tile, ceramic and sanitary ware are created in different forms

some of which are produced in companies during and after production process due to errors in

either construction, human activities, and also inappropriate raw materials. Some others are

produced in transportation and distribution procedures and finally, the most bulk of them are

created as a result of destroying constructions.

Some of these wastes are not recycled in any form. They are useless in practiced and

cause environmental and disposal problems. However, the ceramic waste is durable, hard and

highly resistant to biological, chemical and physical degradation forces. The properties of these

materials make them a good and suitable choice to be used in concrete. The use of waste
ceramic tiles in concrete effects the properties of fresh and hardened concrete, and makes it

economical and also solves some of the disposal problems.

The aim of this paper is the assessment of the properties of concrete which use ceramic

tile waste as natural coarse aggregate partial substitute. To achieve this, fresh and hardened

state properties of concrete are measured to ensure that fundamental parameters needed in

design are evaluated.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Over thousands of years, by the time these materials were improved upon, combined

with other materials and change into modern concrete. Nowadays, concrete are made by using

Portland cement, coarse aggregates, fine aggregates and water. The performance

characteristics of concrete can be observed with change according to the different forces that

the concrete will need to resist. The ingredients of concrete and their proportions are called the

design mix. Time after time, lots of invention have been made to improve the quality of concrete

in the concrete technology. With the improvement that they had made, the superstructure size in

the construction can be reduce such as beam and column.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The production of wastes materials is an unavoidable stage of all industrial and human

activities. One of this waste is the ceramic waste from ceramic and construction industries

which is a major contribute to Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW). And this waste is now

creating big environmental and economic problems all over the world. The management and
treatment of industrial solid waste and municipal waste has recently been gaining importance

worldwide. Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative building materials from industrial

waste materials that can be recycled. Ceramic tiles are often discarded as waste after defined

as useless. But it can be recycled and can be used as a construction material in present world

which is seeking for alternative construction materials which are economical, environment

friendly as well as provides same quality as that of a normal aggregate made of regular

aggregates (Jalali, 2010). Ceramic wastes can be used safely with no need for dramatic change

in production and application process.

This study aims to determine the viability of ceramic tiles as partial substitution to

aggregates in concrete.

Specifically this study sought to answer the following questions.

1. What is the compressive strength of concrete using ceramic tiles waste as fine

aggregates, compared to conventional concrete with proportions

a. 30% CTW- 70% sand

b. 20% CTW- 80% sand

c. 10% CTW- 90% sand

d. 0% CTW- 100% sand

2. What is the different between the conventional concrete and concrete using ceramic

tiles waste in different proportions with respect to:

a. Physical Appearance

3. What mixture proportion is best to use in manufacturing concrete?

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
 For this study, ceramic tile wastes is used as a partial substitute to aggregates in

concrete. It is essential because the proposed material to replace aggregates is waste product

from construction. If ceramic waste is suitable, it can be used in concrete production. This will

reduce the waste material from construction as ceramic tile waste can be recycled for concrete

production purposes. Besides, we can cut down the uses of natural aggregates that are

produced from quarrying process which is non-environmental process and harmful to

environment. The concrete's production cost can be reduced because the alternative material is

waste material that is very low in cost.

The study is envisioned to lead to the development of new engineering material that will

be beneficial in the field of civil engineering and other professions that are related to it.

To the construction industry, specifically, the study will be useful in manufacturing

concrete with lightweight aggregates to minimize the use of sand.

This study will contribute knowledge and information that will be useful to the Civil

Engineering Department and the university.

To the researchers, this study provided opportunities to enhance their knowledge and

skills and to share valuable ideas to the community

To future researchers, this study will be a guide and reference for similar and for their

studies.

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

This study was conducted to achieve the following objectives:

1. To determine compressive strength of concrete using ceramic tile wastes as fine

aggregates, compared to conventional concrete with proportions

 2. To determine the difference between the conventional concrete and concrete using

ceramic tiles waste in different proportions with respect to physical appearance

3. To determine the best mixture proportion to use in manufacturing concrete

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study focused on the comparison of engineering properties of concrete made by

using sand as fine aggregate with crushed ceramic waste as fine aggregate. The study involved

tests on coarse and fine aggregates and concrete mixes to determine their properties. Sand

was the reference fine aggregate in the study. Concrete mix used conventional ballast as

coarse aggregate. Crushed waste ceramic and sand was used as fine aggregate.

Definition of Terms

The following list of definitions serves as a reference for terms used in this study.

Aggregates. Defined as mineral constituents of concrete in granular or particulate form, usually

comprising both coarse and fine fractions. The definition of aggregates in ASTM C125 is ‘a

granular material such as sand, gravel, crushed stone or iron blast- furnace slag, used with a

cementing medium to form hydraulic cement concrete or mortar’. (Alexander & Mindess, 2005.

P.2)

Cement. A substance which hardens with time and holds or entraps objects or particles in a

concrete in a definite relation to each other. For concrete, Portland cement, usually is used.

(Squidoo, 1987)

Ceramic Tile Wastes.

Compressive Strength. Defined as the average of the strength of all the cylinders of the same

age made from a sample taken from a single batch of concrete. (Squidoo, 1987)

Concrete. A composite material formed by mixing and curing ingredients such as cement, fine

and coarse aggregates, and water. (Beaudoin & Ramchandran, 2001, p. ix)

Conventional Concrete. In this study, this refers to concrete with proportion of 1:2:4 for

cement, sand, and gravel respectively.

Curing. This method whereby the concrete is assured of adequate time, temperature, and

supply of water for the cement to continue to hydrate. (Ledbetter, Peurifoy, & Schexnayde,

1996, p.554)

Lightweight Aggregate. This refers to aggregate used to make lightweight concrete and can

be processed natural materials, processed by- products or unprocessed materials.

(Logicsphere, 2011)

Acronyms

The following list of acronyms serves as a reference for how they are used in this study.

ASTM. American Society for Testing and Materials

UTM. Universal Testing Machine

CTW. Ceramic Tile Waste