Provision of the refractory industry with raw materials and the possibility of using recyclate as a source of raw materials

The quality of raw materials has a primary impact on the quality and durability of refractories in metallurgical units. For manufacturers of refractories both in the world and in Russia, natural resources are di ffi cult to access raw materials for objective reasons. Refractories are directly related to the safety of operation of high-temperature units, therefore, the approach to changes and new solutions in the use of raw materials is quite conservative. The desire to use refractory scrap as recyclable materials, and more importantly, as a recyclate replacing completely or partially natural refractory raw materials, requires not only concern for the economics of the process, but also the availability of adequate technology. According to the available estimates, the e ffi ciency of using scrap as a recyclate is four times higher than as recyclable materials. E ff orts, including intellectual ones, and the cost of achieving stable quality of the fi nal product are especially important when using a recyclate. The involvement of secondary resources in the production, including refractory scrap, is becoming increasingly relevant against the background of the in fl uence of dynamic technological processes in metallurgy, energy, construction materials production and other industries. Solving problems of nature conservation, issues related to the carbon footprint and the economy of natural resources is becoming the most important area of engineering research.