Effect of gypsum and granite residues on products from the red ceramic industry: Literature review

ABSTRACT The red ceramics industry comprises materials used in construction (bricks, tiles, expanded clay, among others) and is of great importance for Brazilian economic development, so the demand for its products has grown, causing a problem of scarcity of reserves of good quality raw materials and in economically appropriate places. Other materials also used in construction, such as granite (main product of the ornamental stone industry) and gypsum coating have shown growth in their demand, generating large amounts of waste, causing negative impact on the environment. The recycling of waste is increasingly evident due to the large volume generated by the sector. The red ceramic industry, due to its heterogeneous character, has been prominent in the incorporation of waste, as much to present advantages as the greater rigor of the current laws. The purpose of this work is to present an overview of the effects of the use of industrial waste, gypsum and granite, in the red ceramic industry, and also presents results of work carried out in this area. The results point to a scarce amount of research in the area of waste recycling of gypsum and granite, and that their use in ceramic mass complies with current legislation and also contributes to the reduction of negative impacts caused to the environment due to its disposal in undue places.