Sea sand as a fine aggregate for lightweight glass ceramic tiles

Abstract This study aims to explore sea sand’s potential as a silica-based product raw material. Preliminary characterization reveals a high purity of 91.69% SiO 2 in sea sand with pH 8.27 to pH 8.97 and 2.63 specific gravity of sea sand with other oxides like Al 2 O 3 , K 2 O, Na 2 O, MgO, Fe 2 O 3 , and TiO 2 present. The finest particles range in size from 0.08 mm to 4.75 mm The primary raw material is untreated sea sand, combined with industrial waste like soda lime glass waste, binder clay and foaming agent. Glass ceramic tiles are made in laboratories using a sintering process at a temperature between 850 °C and 950 °C, as compared to 1200 °C for commercial tiles. Water absorption, density, Modulus of rupture (MOR), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) are used to characterize the product. The ideal temperature for sintering determines the best outcome for high-quality tiles. In terms of MOR values, the best tile sample is sintered at 950 °C with 5 minute of soaking time and has 1.91 g/cm 3 , 5.70 MPa, 17.50% water absorption, and 0.27% linear shrinkage with constant pressure of sintered button 20 tanned.