US Egypt Cooperative Research: Preparation of high-aspect ratio wollastonite using recycled material

这项合作研究项目由犹他大学的H.Y. Sohn博士和埃及中央冶金研究与发展研究所的Suzan S. Ibrahim博士负责，目的是研究在合成硅灰石（一种硅酸钙矿物）的生产中使用各种废弃原料，如回收矿渣，并找到助熔剂、温度和粒度的最佳条件。该研究需要(1)升级原材料以去除不需要的成分，(2)开发硅灰石生产工艺（烧结）和(3)评估最终产品。硅灰石具有独特的性能，除了在陶瓷、玻璃、涂料、冶金、焊接和造纸等不同行业中使用外，还可作为替代石棉的绝缘材料。这一及时的建议解决了天然硅灰石供应减少和工业应用对高纯度合成硅灰石的需求。它的合成是一个相对简单的过程，包括对原材料进行升级，去除不需要的成分，然后烧结或加热到适当的温度。各种废料都可以作为硅灰石合成的起始点。如果成功，这项研究项目将立即产生经济影响，使废料得到有益的利用，并提供一种以实际可行的成本供应合成硅灰石的方法。美国和埃及参与者之间的合作是这项研究的一个重要方面，研究生将参与这项工作。行业参与将增强研究的适用性，并可能产生显著的环境效益。该项目由美国-埃及联合基金项目资助，该项目向两国的科学家和工程师提供赠款，以开展合作研究。

This collaborative research project is being undertaken by Dr. H.Y. Sohn, University of Utah, and Dr. Suzan S. Ibrahim, Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute of Egypt to investigate the use of various waste raw materials such as recycled slag in the production of synthetic wollastonite (a calcium silicate mineral) and to find the optimum conditions of flux, temperature, and particle size. The research entails (1) upgrading the raw material to remove unwanted components, (2) developing the wollastonite production process (sintering) and (3) evaluating the resulting product.Wollastonite has unique properties, making it an important candidate to be used as an insulating material to replace asbestos in addition to its usage in different industries such as ceramics, glass, coatings, metallurgical, welding, and paper. This timely proposal addresses dwindling supplies of natural wollastonite and the need for synthetic wollastonite of high purity for industrial application. Its synthesis is a relatively simple process, involving upgrading of raw materials to remove unwanted components and then sintering, or heating, to an appropriate temperature. Various waste materials can be used as the starting point for wollastonite synthesis. If successful, this research project should have immediate economic impact in allowing waste materials to be used beneficially and in providing a means to supply synthetic wollastonite at a practicable cost. The collaboration between US and Egyptian participants is an important aspect of this research, and graduate students will participate in the effort. Industry involvement will strengthen the applicability of the research, and notable environmental benefits may result.The project is funded under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to undertake cooperative research.