Ceramic Foam Granulate from Crashed Clinker Pavers

The possibility of transforming debris from a ceramic clinker into high quality foam granulate is discussed. The foaming process, which was carried out at temperatures 150-200 °C higher than the production process, was studied by HSM and DTA-TG coupled with MS. Phase and structural transformations were investigated by XRD and SEM, respectively. The results highlight that the foaming mechanism is related to the release of oxygen due to a reduction in Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ after the melting of hematite and the dissolution of pseudobrookite present in clinker waste. Granules obtained after 30 min of holding at 1280 °C are impermeable to water and, depending on the cooling applied, have a density between 0.4 and 0.7 g/cm³, porosity between 70 and 85 vol %, and compressive strength between 0.7 and 1.1 MPa. These results meet the requirements for high-quality fire-resistance lightweight aggregates.