Journal of Materials Science, Vol.44, No.13, 3508-3513, 2009
Production and characteristics of glass-ceramics derived from manganese crust tailings
Glass-ceramics have been produced via vitrification from manganese crust tailings with over 23% reduction in tailings volume. The crystalline behaviour of parent glass and glass-ceramics were investigated using DTA, TGA, XRD, and SEM/EDS. XRD analysis revealed that the major crystalline phase was iron manganese oxide. The Vickers microhardness (H (v)) was 9.74 MPa, the indentation strength (K (c)) was 1.88 Mpa m(1/2), and elastic modulus (E) was 140 MPa. The properties of the glass-ceramic compared well with known research and industrial glass-ceramic materials. Results suggest that manganese crust tailings have potential to be vitrified into useful, marketable glass-ceramic materials.