Synthesis of ceramic pigments from industrial wastes: Red mud and electroplating sludge

The perception of industrial waste has changed, in the last decades, from an economic and environmental problem to a potential raw material. In this work, the synthesis of a stable pigment was prepared by combining two hazardous and unexplored wastes: red mud (RM, rich in Fe) and electroplating sludge (ES, rich in Ni/Cr). The wastes were mixed in different proportions and calcined at 1200 °C. Black and brown pigments were obtained from the mixture of RM/ES in 1:3 and 1:1 wt proportions, respectively. The color was given by the chrome-iron-nickel spinels, based on Ni2+ 3T1g(3F) transitions (≈13,000 cm−1), Cr3+ 4A2g → 4T1g(4F) transitions (≈24,400 cm−1) and Fe3+ (≈15,000–≈22,500 cm−1). The achieved coloring strength and thermal stability on various ceramic glazes render excellent prospects for the industrial application of such waste-based pigments.