PROCESS FOR FORMING SHAPED ARTICLES

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the production of a solid article comprising the steps of: (1) treating a base material comprising soil or other materials composed of SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, or mixtures of two or more thereof, with a solution containing alkali metal ions at a pH > 7 for a time sufficient to reduce the properties of these materials to change their volumes with varying moisture levels in the environment and where the base material comprises SiO2 to convert part or all of the SiO2 to alkali metal silicate; (2) optionally mixing with the base material iron oxide or a compound of iron, where the base material contains no iron or compound of iron; (3) optionally introducing into or creating within the soil or materials further alkali metal silicate, or solution thereof; and (4) allowing the mixture to cure.

Description: Process For Forming Shaped Articles Technical Field The present invention is directed towards a process for preparation of shaped articles such as construction materials, bricks, tiles, pavers, pipes and the like. The invention also relates to a process for treatment and disposal of waste materials by converting them into a shaped article or a solid aggregate. Background Art Conventionally clay products are formed by forming clay and some other materials into a desired shape and firing the shaped articles at a temperature where at least some of the shaped material constituents melt and fuse together. Upon cooling the fused materials resolidify and give the strength and other properties to the products. In an alternative method cement is used to bind together particles of sand and aggregate to form cement products. Both of these conventional processes have the disadvantages that they consume relatively high amounts of energy. The present invention is directed to a process for the production of alternative construction materials with low energy consumption. Large amounts of fly ash and other waste materials are also generated during the conventional process and the continued retention and storage of further amounts of this waste material is problematic. One example of a process for forming a construction material that uses clay is described in Australian Patent 535 130. In this process, a construction material is formed from a mixture of a soil that has been heated in a manner such that the property of the soil to swell with changing levels of moisture is destroyed without melting any of the soil constituents, with iron oxide which is added either before or after heating and into which a solution of sodium silicate is added. It is quite clear that the soil used in this process had to be heated enough to destroy swelling properties of clay with changing levels of moisture. The temperature was said to be between 500-700°C. A disadvantage of this process is that the high temperature requirements adds a significant cost to the final process. Disclosure Of The Invention The present inventor has recognised that there exists a need for a process that is capable of activating clay or other materials in a manner that would be convenient, simple and cost saving. According to a first embodiment of the present invention there is provided a process for the production of a solid article comprising the steps of (1) treating a base material comprising soil or other materials composed of SiO , AI O3, Fe2θ 3 . CaO, or mixtures of two or more thereof, with a solution containing alkali metal ions at a pH > 7 for a time sufficient to reduce the properties of these materials to change their volumes with varying moisture levels in the environment and where the base material comprises Siθ2 to convert part or all of the SiO 2 to alkali metal silicate, (2) optionally mixing with the base material iron oxide or a compound of iron, where the base material contains no iron or compound of iron, (3) optionally introducing into or creating within the soils or materials further alkali metal silicate, or solution thereof, and (4) allowing the mixture to cure. Pigments and other additives may be added in any of steps 1 to 3 or before step 1. Fillers may be added before steps 2 or 3. Preferred fillers for use in the present invention include fly ash, slag or other pozzulanic materials. The filler may also be the same or a similar material to the base material. If the end product is to be in the form of a shaped article the mixture is compacted and shaped prior to curing. Compaction and shaping generally improves the strength of the final product. In some applications the strength of the final product may not be as important and it is not necessary to compact the mixture. This is generally the case when the final product is an aggregate material for use in such applications as landfills. Also strength may not be important when the process of the present invention is used to bind or treat a toxic waste material. Typically, the base material remains in contact with the alkali from about 12 to about 48 hours. In base materials which contain sufficient amounts of SiOi. the reaction between the alkali and SiO 2 may produce sufficient alkali metal silicate such that it may not be necessary to add further alkali metal silicate. If required, the surface of the hardened articles may be further treated with acidic solutions, hot water or surface heating at 200-900°C. In the process in Australian Patent 535 130 it is essential to heat the soil at 500 to 700°C to activate the soil and to destroy its swelling properties. Such heating is not required in the present invention. The process in Australian Patent 535 130 has the steps of heating the soil and adding iron oxide to form a mixture, then introducing into or creating within the mixture a solution of sodium silicate or a sodium hydroxide/silica solution. In Australian Patent 535 130, the addition of alkali raises the pH value of the alkali metal silicate to between 11.5 and 14. In the present invemion the alkali is added before mixing the whole mixture. The base material remains in contact with the alkali for a time sufficient to reduce the properties of these materials tc change their volumes with varying moisture levels in the environment. Best Modes Of Carrying Out The Invention The base material may comprise a variety of differer.: materials including aluminosilcates such as soil or clay materials, mineral tailings, iron dust, scoria ash, other pozzulanic materials, waste ash, or other waste materials. The types of suitable aluminosilcate materials would be well known to a person skilled in the art. Examples of such materials may be found in the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Fourth edition, Volume 6, pages 381 to 423. Suitable ash materials include fly ash, metropolitan waste ash, sewerage ash or flue ash. Preferably the ash has a low carbon content. A typical ash may contain 40% by weight or less carbon, more preferably 20% by weight or below. While many types of soils or base materials may be used in the process according to this invention it is desirable that the base material be quite finely comminuted and dried prior to being treated. Preferably the solution after treatment with alkali is between pH value about 11 to about 14. To a certain extent, the amount of water incorporated in the mixture will depend upon the manner in which the article is to be formed. Typically the mixture will be comprise about 8% or more by weight, based on the base material, of water. Preferably the water is added in step 1. The amount of iron oxide or compound of iron which is added to the base material is not critical. Preferably more than about 1 % by weight, based on the base material, of iron oxide or compound of iron is added. For some applications, such as the treatment and/or disposal of iron dust the base material may be composed entirely of iron oxide. Generally for theses applications, the strength of the final product is not important and the product may be in aggregate form. Iron dust may also be converted into a shaped article having good strength by adding up to about 100% by weight of iron dust, based on the base material to a base material such as clay or ash. For applications where the base material is not based on iron the amount of iron oxide or compound of iron which is added is preferably about 1 to about 17% by weight of the base material and most preferably from 3 to 15% by weight. Where the base material already contains iron oxide or a compound thereof, the amount which needs to be added may be adjusted accordingly. A base material high in iron is flue ash. The iron oxide or other iron compounds may be obtained from any suitable source. Preferably the iron should be at least as finely comminuted as the base materials used in the process. The amount of alkali metal silicate either produced and. cr added is preferably about 0.5 to about 17% by weight of the base material, most preferably 3 to 15% . A preferred alkali metal silicate is sodium silicate. The materials which are added to the base material are not required to be in a pure form. Waste products rich in the appropriate constituents such as Si0 2 , A1 2 0 3 , Fe 2 θ 3 , CaO, NaOH can be used satisfactorily. Dyes, pigments or other additives may also be added during any one of the steps. Suitable additives include appropriately graded gravel or sand, or binders such as cement One or more fillers may be added in steps 2 or 3. Up to about 98% by weight of filler, based on the base material, may be added. Preferably about 30 to about 70% by weight of filler is added, most preferably about 30 to about 50% . A preferred filler is ash and in particular fly ash. When the final product is to be a shaped article, it is highly desirable that the mixture be compacted prior to curing. The compaction has been found to increase substantially the final strength of articles formed by the method according to this invention. The compaction may be brought about by compressing or extruding the mixture or by the use of a compaction roller. Alternatively articles may be slip cast to bring about the desired compaction. Once the shaped article is formed, it is allowed to cure in ambient air, preferably at a temperature of about 30°C. If desired, curing may be accelerated by the use of higher temperatures. Typically temperatures of about 100°C may be employed. As no heating is required in the formation of the shaped articles of the invention the energy requirements are quite low, thereby contributing to the relatively low cost of these shaped articles. The invention will now be illustrated in the following examples which should not be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. In each case, the clay or ash stated were treated by 20% NaOH solution for a period of 24 hours. The treated material were mixed with other ingredients until homogenous and the mixture formed compacted and allowed to air cure at ambient temperature. The compressive strengths were assessed at 7 and 28 days. The results are set out in Table 1. Example 1 1. 10kg white earth sample from Goulburn (NSW Australia) was mixed with water and 2L of 20% sodium hydroxide solution for five minutes and the mixture was kept for 24 hours. 2. 0.5kg Fe2θ 3 and 4.3kg filler (Gladstone Fly Ash) were added into the mixture and mixed together for two minutes. 3. 0.6L of 50% sodium silicate was then added to the mixture and thoroughly mixed. 4. The homogenised mass was then pressed in a brick mould at 20T pressure. The test specimen formed was 70cm high and 110cm wide and 230cm long. 5. The pressed brick was dried in air at room temperature for 7 and 28 days then cut in half and tested for its strength. The results are in Table 1. Example 2 The procedure of Example I was repeated with the difference that the amount of sodium silicate was 5% and filler was 41 % instead of 4% and 43 % in Example 1. Example 3 The procedure of Example I was repeated using scoria ash from Victoria Australia. The sodium silicate was 4% and the filler was 20% (Gladstone Fly Ash). Example 4 The procedure and materials of Example 3 were repeated with the difference that the sodium silicate was 4.5% and filler was 40% instead of 4% and 20% in Example 3. Examples 5 to 20 The procedure and materials of Example 1 was repeated with the difference that red clay was used instead of white earth. The relative amounts of the different materials are given in the following Table.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A process for the production of a solid article comprising the steps of (1) treating a base material comprising soil or other materials composed of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Fe2θ3, CaO, or mixtures of two or more thereof, with a solution containing alkali metal ions at a pH > 7 for a time sufficient to reduce the properties of these materials to change their volumes with varying moisture levels in the environment and where the base material comprises SiO 2 to convert part or all of the Siθ2 to alkali metal silicate, (2) optionally mixing with the base material iron oxide or a compound of iron, where the base material contains no iron or compound of iron, (3) optionally introducing into or creating within the soils or materials further alkali metal silicate, or solution thereof, and (4) allowing the mixture to cure. 2. A process according to claim 1, wherein said base material is an aluminosilicate containing material. 3. A process according to claim 1 wherein said base material is a waste material rich in iron oxide. 4. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said base material is finely comminuted prior to treatment with said alkaline solution. 5. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said mixture has a pH of about 11 to about 14 after treatment with said solution containing alkali metal ions. 6. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said base material is treated with said solution containing alkali metal ions from about 12 to about 48 hours. 7. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said compound of iron is iron oxide. 8. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 6. wherein said mixture comprises about 1 to about 80% by weight, based on the base material, of iron or compound of iron. 9. A process according to claim 8, wherein said mixture comprises about 3 to about 15% by weight based on the base material, of iron or compound of iron. 10. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said mixture comprises about 0.5 to about 17% by weight, based on the base material, of alkali metal silicate. 11. A process according to claim 10, wherein said mixture comprises about 3 to about 5% by weight, based on the base material, of alkali metal silicate. 12. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said alkali metal silicate is sodium silicate. 13. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 12. wherein said mixture comprises about 8% or more by weight water based on the amou of base material. 15. A process as claimed in claim 14 wherein said mixture comprises about 30 to about 50% by weight filler. 16. A process as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15 wherein said filler is ash. 17. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein said mixture is allowed to cure at ambient temperature. 18. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 17 wherein said mixture is cured at about 40 to about 100°C. 19. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18 wherein said article is an aggregate. 20. An aggregate material formed by the process of claim 19. 21. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18 wherein said mixture is formed into a shaped article before curing. 22. A shaped article formed by the process according to claim 21.

Inventors: RAHME MAROUN, WU SHAN HONG, RAHME, MAROUN, WU, SHAN, HONG
Applicants: BARCAZ PTY LTD, RAHME MAROUN, WU SHAN HONG, BARCAZ PTY. LTD., RAHME, MAROUN, WU, SHAN, HONG
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B28C1
IPC codes: C04B28