Abstract
Electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) has caused severe pollution due to its high concentration of water-soluble contaminants, posing a major obstacle to the sustainable development. To address the low utilization of EMR and its associated pollution, mullite-enhanced anorthite ceramics were successfully prepared at temperatures below 1200 °C by using EMR and calcined kaolin (CK). Different EMR/CK ratios, sintering temperatures, and holding times were investigated. The optimal bending strength of 65.09 MPa was obtained at 1160 °C for 60 min with EMR/CK ratio of 1:1. The enhanced mechanical strength originates from the altered crack propagation path caused by in-situ synthesis of mullite microcrystals. Phase composition, microstructure, and thermal analysis revealed that CaO reacts with α-SiO2 to form wollastonite and gehlenite, ultimately synthesizing anorthite above 1100 °C. The spinel-like intermediate during the mullite formation provides most of aluminum source and part of silicon source for anorthite synthesis. This study offers a sustainable solution for solid waste co-disposal and heavy metal pollution control.
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Funding
The financial support of this work is from Department of Science and Technology of Guizhou Province, China (Qiankehe Foundation-[2024] Youth 002), Bureau of Science and Technology of Tongren Municipality, Guizhou Province, China (Tongshi Scientific Research (2024) No.19), Doctoral Research Fundation of Tongren University (Grant No. trxyDH2314), Department of Education of Guizhou Province, China (QJJ [2022]055, [2024]005), Guizhou Key Laboratory of Green Metallurgy and Process Strengthening (Grant No. [2023]026).
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Song, J., Li, Y., Zhang, J. et al. Effect of mullite microcrystal on phase change mechanism of anorthite-based ceramics at low temperatures using electrolytic manganese residue. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-51054-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-51054-4
