Abstract
The article discusses the results of a study of the effect of waste oil on the properties of ceramic bricks. The effect of the content of an organic additive (oil) and the firing temperature on the physico-mechanical properties of ceramic materials based on loam has been studied. The compositions included 3, 5 and 7% oil with the rest of the loam, and firing was carried out at temperatures of 950 and 1000° C. The compressive strength, thermal conductivity, fire shrinkage, average density, and water absorption of the samples after heat treatment were evaluated. It was found that an increase in the oil content from 3 to 7% leads to a decrease in compressive strength from 15.3 to 13.8 MPa at 950 °C and from 15.1 to 13.1 MPa at 1000 °C, which is associated with an increase in porosity due to the burnout of the organic additive. At the same time, there is a decrease in the average density of the material and fire shrinkage, which indicates a weakening of the sintering processes and the formation of a more porous structure. The thermal conductivity of the samples increases slightly with an increase in the oil content, which is due to a change in the morphology of the pores. An increase in the firing temperature to 1000 °C is accompanied by an increase in density and fire shrinkage, as well as a decrease in water absorption, which indicates an intensification of sintering and compaction processes of the structure. It is shown that the best combination of performance characteristics is achieved with an oil content of 5%, providing a balanced ratio of strength, density and water absorption. The results obtained can be used in the development of effective ceramic materials with controlled porosity and specified properties.