Synthesis and Characterization of Porcelain Body Developed from Rice Husk Ash (TECHNICAL NOTE)

For a developing country like Bangladesh, waste management is an important issue. Since it is a small over-populated country , strict government regulations regarding landfills is essential. Expansion of ceramic industries is considered to be one of the potential sectors for the economic growth of Bangladesh. However, raw material cost per unit production is the prime concern for industrialists. Utilization of rice husk (RH) for industrial purposes is found to be an effective solution associated with both waste disposal and financial concerns. Since, RH is a rich source of silica, it could substitute quartz used in ceramic industries. Availability of RH in Bangladesh makes it more suitable for manufacturing applications. Hence, in the present work we focused on the synthesis and characterization of porcelain body by incorporating 25% rice husk ash (RHA) as a substitute of quartz and evaluation of structure-property relationship by means of temperature. Three different calcination temperatures (700, 800 and 900oC) were chosen for the conversion of rice husk (RH) to rice husk ash (RHA).  True density measurement and phase identification of RHA was conducted to ensure the quality of raw material. Calcination at 900oC for 3 hours provided the preferred quality of RHA. Green samples for the porcelain body were prepared by a homogenous mixture of clay, feldspar, quartz and RHA, followed by densification at 950, 1050 and 1150oC for constant soaking time of 1 hour. The effect of calcination as well as sintering profile on the densification of porcelain body was assessed. Finally physical, mechanical and morphological characterizations were done. The investigation revealed that 1050oC as the optimum sintering temperature for 25% quartz substituted product.