Preliminary study of utilizing walnut shell waste for clay-based porous ceramic production

Ceramics that have a substantial amount of porosity, ranging from 20% to 95%, are referred to as porous ceramics. In general, porous ceramics have a number of desirable properties, including high mechanical strength, resistance to abrasion, chemical and thermal stability, and other properties. Compared to other types of ceramic structures, porous network ceramic structures are comparatively lightweight, have a low density, a low mass, and poor heat conductivity. For the purpose of producing porous ceramic, pore-forming agents, also known as PFA, are added to the ceramic powder. In order to manufacture PFA, the powder compaction process was used. For the purpose of producing porous ceramic, researchers investigated the possibility that food waste, such as coffee grounds, peanut shells, and banana peels, might be used as a PFA. The high moisture content of food waste might make the process of preparation more difficult than it would otherwise be. This research aims to evaluate the suitability of walnut shell as a PFA for porous ceramics and to investigate the effect of wt.% walnut shell and sintering temperature on the physical and mechanical properties of porous ceramics. A procedure known as sacrificial fugitive was used in order to create porous ceramic. The water absorption test, apparent porosity, bulk density, linear shrinkage, and crystalline phase (XRD characterisation) were the methods that were used in order determine the physical properties. Compressive strength was used in order to get better understanding of the mechanical properties. An increase in the weight % of walnut shell (WS) in the porous ceramic was shown to have a strongly impact on the compressive strength of the material while simultaneously increasing the porosity of the material. When the sintering temperature is 950°C, the porous ceramic that contains walnut shell has the best strength at 10 wt.% WS, and the lowest strength is 20 wt.% WS when the sintering temperature is 850°C. When the porous ceramic was combined with 10 wt.% WS and the sintering temperature was set at 950°C, the composition and sintering characteristics were found to be well-balanced.