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Six zeolite-bearing rocks, often used as building materials, were analyzed by thermodilatometry, together with a rock not bearing zeolites and a plaster covering a containing wall made of zeolite-bearing dimension stones, up to 250 °C. The main results obtained were the following: (i) the zeolite-bearing rocks exhibited very small, if any, positive variation of ΔL/Lo (%) up to about 100 °C, whereas they more or less shrank in the temperature range 100–250 °C (final values ranging from −0.21 to −0.92%), (ii) the rock not bearing zeolites regularly expanded through the whole temperature range, attaining a final value of 0.19%, (iii) the plaster showed a thermodilatometric behavior strongly affected by its water content. Obtained results were interpreted based on plain thermal expansion, shrinkage by dehydration, cation migration and thermal collapse of the zeolitic structure. The decay of the zeolite-bearing building materials was essentially related to: (i) the large differences recorded in the thermodilatometric behavior of the various rocks and the plaster, (ii) the different minerogenetic processes that resulted in the deposition of the various zeolite-bearing rocks.

This paper aims at testing the use of mixtures constituted by natural zeolitized products and SiC-bearing industrial wastes (sludge deriving from polishing of porcelain stoneware tiles, hereafter DPM) for the production of lightweight expanded aggregates as constituents of structural and/or thermo-insulating lightweight concretes. Two commercial products have been used as zeolite natural source: Cab70 (Yellow facies of Campanian Ignimbrite) and IZclino (Turkish clinoptilolite-rich epiclastite). Different amounts of a calcareous material (Pozzano limestones — hereafter CP) from the Sorrento peninsula (Naples — Italy) were also added to a Cab70–DPM mixture. All raw materials were characterized by means of mineralogical (XRPD) and chemical (XRF) analyses. All the products and mixtures were tested from a technological point of view by means of fusibility and firing tests in order to evaluate the expanding properties. It was evidenced that the expansion of the mixture was deeply depending on the occurrence of SiC in the industrial waste. The addition of CP (10 wt.%) to the mixtures accounts for an even increased expansion, though this is accompanied by a worsening of the mechanical features of the material. These results along with literature data allowed to select 3 mixtures (70% Cab70–30% DPM, 70% IZclino–30% DPM, 60% Cab70–30% DPM–10% CP) and each of them was used for the preparation of 5 l of lightweight aggregates afterward employed for the manufacture of lightweight concretes. It was remarked that natural zeolitized materials mixed with DPM (30 wt.%) can provide lightweight aggregates with densities ranging between 0.8 and 1.0 g/cm 3 suitable for the preparation of structural lightweight concretes. The addition to the mixture of CP (10 wt.%) produces less dense aggregates (0.6–0.7 g/cm 3 ) potentially useful for the manufacture of thermo insulating lightweight concretes.

Aim of this research is an evaluation of the zeolitized facies of Campanian Ignimbrite as raw material for the production of lightweight expanded aggregates (LEA). A commercial product (Cab70) was used as reference for this rock. Tests were carried out on “pure” samples or mixed with an industrial waste mud (DPM — Dried Polishing Mud) deriving from a porcelain stoneware tile polishing process. This mud contains SiC, a phase known to act as bloating enhancer. Raw materials were subjected to mineralogical (XRPD–RIR method) and chemical (XRF) analyses. Bloating upon heating was measured (Leitz heating microscope) on Cab70, DPM and on three mixtures having the following Cab70/DPM ratios: 85/15 (Mix1); 70/30 (Mix2); 50/50 (Mix3). LEA production was assessed both in static (muffle kiln) and in dynamic (rotating kiln) conditions by firing pellets, 3–8 mm in size, between 1220–1380 °C. The unit weight of the single particle was determined on fired and unfired products. All materials evidenced a decreasing density with temperature whereas the same parameter decreases with DPM increasing content. Cab70 LEAs never dropped below 0.90 g/cm3, even at the highest temperature, whereas DPM LEAs range between 0.86 g/cm3 (at 1260 °C) and 0.46 g/cm3 (at 1380 °C). A direct but not linear relationship between DPM content and density was evidenced. Among the three mixtures, Mix2 showed the lowest DPM content able to produce the strongest density reduction. To get LEAs with the same density the rotating kiln required temperatures generally 60–80 °C higher than those of the muffle kiln. This difference should be related to the different thermal insulation of the two systems during firing. Two sets of LEAs were massively produced in dynamic conditions from Cab70 (at 1380 °C) and Mix2 (at 1300 °C). These latter showed better technical performances in terms of unit weight of the single particle (0.81 vs. 0.98 g/cm3), bulk unit weight (460 vs. 565 kg/m3), water absorption coefficients (1.4 vs. 5.5% after 24 h) and compressive strength of the particles (2.9 vs. 0.6 MPa). Differences in pore shape, dimension, abundance and spatial distribution were observed by SEM between the two sets. The technical features of these LEAs were comparable to some expanded clays, with similar grain size, commercialised in Italy. These results are worth interesting as they reveal new perspectives of application both for a rock characterized by a low exploitation cost and widely available in central-southern Italy, as well as for an industrial waste produced in high amount but not recycled at all.

This paper investigates the thermal transformation of powders of volcanic tuffs that are used as building stones and aims at thermally transforming them into ceramics. The following positive indications concerning this thermal transformation were found: (1) the structural evolution which brings products similar to traditional ceramics, (2) the good ability to give rise to dense and compact final products, and (3) the good mechanical properties and the lovely appearance of the final products. Nevertheless, the high values of linear shrinkages recorded in this work seem to strongly hinder the thermal transformation of this powder-like waste into ceramics. However, mixing this by-product with other powder-like waste exhibiting higher-dimensional stability, such as those deriving from sawing of granites, appears proper.

This research provides possible opportunities in the reuse of waste and particularly muds, coming from both ornamental stone (granite sludges from sawing and polishing operations) and ceramic production (porcelain stoneware tile polishing sludge), for the manufacture of lightweight aggregates. Lab simulation of the manufacturing cycle was performed by pelletizing and firing the waste mixes in a rotative furnace up to 1300 degrees C, and determining composition and physicomechanical properties of lightweight aggregates. The best formulation was used to produce and test lightweight structural concretes according to standard procedures. Both granite and porcelain stoneware polishing sludges exhibit a suitable firing behavior due to the occurrence of SiC (an abrasive component) which, by decomposing at high temperature with gas release, acts as a bloating promoter, resulting in aggregates with particle density1 Mg/m3. However, slight variations of mixture composition produce aggregates with rather different properties, going from values close to those of typical commercial expanded clays (particle density 0.68 Mg/m3; strength of particle 1.2 MPa) to products with high mechanical features (particle density 1.25 Mg/m3; strength of particle 6.9 MPa). The best formulation (50 wt.% porcelain stoneware polishing sludge +50 wt.% granite sawing sludge) was used to successfully manufacture lightweight structural concretes with suitable properties (compressive strength 28 days20 MPa, bulk density 1.4-2.0 Mg/m3).

The possibility of using Italian zeolitized volcanoclastites for the production of lightweight aggregates in the building industry has been tested. The present paper definitely demonstrates the good attitude of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) for the production of lightweight expanded aggregates (LEA) with bulk densities ranging between 0.9 and 1.1 g/cm 3 . LEAs showing these features, usually manufactured with clays, are mainly used in the production of lightweight structural concretes (LSC). The physical characterization of LEAs was carried out by means of: grain size analysis, loose weight, mean density of the single grain, water absorption after 30 min and 24 h, and strength of particles (UNI-7549). Afterwards, LEAs were mixed with sand, cement and water to prepare cubic concrete blocks following the UNI specifications (UNI-7549-12). On these specimens, the unit weight and uniaxial compressive strength after 28 days were determined. The investigated parameters measured both on LEAs and concretes, are comparable with those measured on materials commonly traded in Italy. The obtained results foresee interesting potential applications of a raw material characterized by a low exploitation cost and a widespread availability on the Italian territory.

Low-cost zeolitic rocks are promising substitutes for feldspathic fluxes in ceramic bodies, since their fusibility, modest hardness and high cation exchange capacity (CEC) should improve grinding and sintering. Five large-scale Italian deposits of natural zeolites with different mineralogy were characterised and tested in porcelain stoneware bodies. Their behaviour during processing was appraised and compared with that of zeolite-free bodies. Zeolites increased the slip viscosity during wet grinding, causing a coarser grain size distribution and consequently some drawbacks in both unfired and fired tiles. After overcoming this hindrance by dry grinding of zeolite rocks, the technological behaviour of zeolite-bearing tiles appear to be similar to that of current porcelain stoneware, though with larger firing shrinkage and residual closed porosity.

The aim of this research is to assess the possible use of Italian zeolitic rocks for the production of lightweight aggregates. In particular, both the expansion at high temperature and the technological features of fired products were investigated. Fifteen zeolite-bearing volcanoclastites from Northern Sardinia and three zeolitized tuffs from Campania and Tuscany (Sorano and Campanian ignimbrites and Neapolitan Yellow Tuff) were taken into account. The firing expansion turned out to be mainly dependent on the chemical composition (especially SiO 2 and fluxing oxides such as Fe 2 O 3 , Na 2 O, K 2 O, MgO and CaO) and the water content (largely related to the zeolite amount) of the raw materials. Other relevant parameters were the temperature of maximum expansion (ranging between 1350 and 1500 °C, without additives) and soaking time (between 2 and 5 min). Some products are highly impervious to water (water absorption below 1%) and exhibit a considerable firing expansion (>100% in volume), a low bulk density (0.5–0.7 g·cm −3 ) and fair technical properties (loose weight and strength of particles). These encouraging results make some of the investigated tuffs interesting raw materials for the production of lightweight aggregates.