In these last decades, with the advance of industrialization, the enormous quantity of residue that is discarded by the industry has been generating discussions about eco-efficient solutions. This research has the objective of developing an artificial stone with residue of quartzite and fine quarry gravel (granite), utilizing the vibro-compression vacuum method. The residue was separated in three granulometric ranges with sieving: Large and medium (fine quarry gravel) and fine (quartzite). A statistical treatment was used in the acquired data, utilizing analysis of variance (ANOVA). The characterization was through a physical, mechanical, dilatometric and microstructural analysis. The obtained results classify the material as having high potential to be used for flooring in the civil construction industry, since it has low porosity <0.17% e water absorption < 0.3%, maximum flexural strength > 30 MPa, being able to be utilized in medium and low traffic environments.

Novel civil construction materials based on waste can be an optimal alternative for waste management, reducing its improper disposal while engaging an otherwise discarded material as a raw material in other production processes. This research’s main objective was to develop and characterize two novel artificial stones based on waste glass from bottles and aggregated with epoxy resin (ASG-EP) and polyurethane resin (ASG-PU) from castor oil, respectively, as well as the comparison of the two developed materials. Plates were manufactured with 15% of epoxy or 15% polyurethane resins and 85% of waste glass from bottles. The mixture was molded with a process of 6Hz vibration, 600mmHg of vacuum, and hot compaction at 90ºC for EP and 80ºC for PU. Results evidenced that the development of ASGs based on waste glass from bottles is technically and economically viable.

The objective of this research was to produce artificial stone plates based on granite and mirror wastes and epoxy matrix, by vibration, compression, and vacuum and to characterize them. Plates were manufactured with 15%wt epoxy resin and 85% of aggregates in the proportion of 1/3 of granite waste from Ocre Itabira gray granite and 2/3 of mirror waste. The apparent density, water absorption, and apparent porosity values were 2.22 g/cm3, 0.11%, and 0.25%, respectively, the flexural strength was 34.36 MPa, abrasive wear after a 1000m track was 2.28mm and the breaking height in the impact resistance test was 0.45m. In addition, the stone was resistant to several staining agents. Therefore, the technical viability of the material developed was verified, with results compatible with studies already carried out in the area, making it possible to apply it as coatings and countertops in civil construction.

Ornamental stones, such as marble and granite, are worldwide used as pavement cover and lining parts in civil construction. Dwindling deposits and environmental pollution, due to extraction methods, have motivated the replacement of natural ornamental stones by synthetic ones. In particular, artificial ornamental stones are being developed with mineral wastes incorporated into polymeric matrix. In this work, granite particle waste, from a quarry, which supplies plates for building construction, was used in amounts of 85 and 90 wt % together with epoxy resin to fabricate novel artificial stones. Physical and mechanical characterization disclosed superior properties that allow these new developed artificial stones to be applied as pedestrian traffic pavements.

The present work is part of an innovation research project aiming to develop artificial stone from industrial wastes. In principle, the project goal is to fabricate artificial stones with improved characteristics to be used as plates for housing and road construction. In this work, the specific industrial residue was an electrostatically precipitated powder obtained from the initial sintering stage of an integrated steelmaking plant. Plates were produce by vacuum vibro-compression of epoxy resin mixed with 80 and 85 wt% of this specific residue. After curing, the plates were characterized for physical parameters and mechanical properties. The microstructural aspect of the finishing surface was analyzed for both novel artificial stones by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the 80% residue incorporated artificial stone is superior to the 85% residue incorporated and markedly stronger than a commercial artificial stone, incorporated with granite residue, with comparable density and water absorption. These characteristics favor the technical substitution of the presently investigated artificial for the commercial stone. In particular, based on wear tests, the residue incorporated artificial stone would be restricted to application as pavement in medium traffic roads.