Suitability of Itakpe Iron Ore Tailing in Kogi State for Glass Ceramic Production

This paper detailed the production of glass ceramic from waste glass, kaolin, iron ore tailings waste and bentonite (binder). The methodology includes: collection, chemical analysis and slip production and compaction, sintering the batches to form glass ceramic 750 0C, mechanical property and microstructure analysis of the glass ceramic. Ternary phase diagram was used to determine the granulometric composition of 21 different mixtures with varying proportions. The waste glass, kaolin and iron ore tailing were analyzed for their chemical composition by X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF). The compact 21 samples were arranged in a kiln and sintered at a temperature of 750 0C with holding time of two hours each. The results showed 73 % of SiO2, kaolin has 54 % and iron ore tailing 65 %. The density of the sample 21 recorded the highest weight. The compressive strength of the sample 21 showed highest strength and this could be due to 20% tailing and 80% glass composition. Therefore, the potential for utilizing waste materials like sodalime-silica glass, kaolin, and iron-rich phases in the production of advanced materials like glass-ceramics is justified.