Characterization of the material produced using marble waste and reagents aiming production of rock wool

The aim of this work was to characterize materials produced from the mixture of marble waste and chemical reagents. The materials were homogenized, melted and cooled in order to obtain materials with similar characteristics of rock wools. The batch was poured in a water-filled recipient and also in a Herty viscometer at three temperatures. Samples of produced materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and differential thermal analysis. Results of this study indicate that it is possible the incorporation of marble waste in the production process of rock wool, replacing approximately 15% of the raw material used to fabricate this material. This process represents a technological breakthrough since it allows the reuse of marble waste, and also represents a possible decrease in rock wool production cost, which is a material with a growing market as thermoacoustic insulator.