Preparation of β-wollastonite glass-ceramics from potash feldspar tailings

Sintering slag glass-ceramics were prepared by using potash feldspar tailings from Shaxian of Fujian province, calcium carbonate and zinc oxide at the mass ratio of 72%:22.7%:5.3% and the glass was melted at 1250°C for 3 h. It was found that zinc oxide was an effective flux agent. The melted glass was quenched in water, and the glass particles with grain sizes in the range between 0.45 to 0.9 mm were got. By orthogonal experiments of heating treatments, the glass-ceramics were made from the optimum condition: nucleating at 975°C for 45 min, and crystallizing at 1100°C for 30 min. The prepared glass-ceramics consist of matrix glass and β-wollastonite crystals with grain size around 2μm, which has a Vickers hardness of 9.77 GPa.