Waste-Based Pigments for Application in Ceramic Glazes and Stoneware Bodies

The use of wastes, some of them hazards, as raw materials of ceramic pigments has been a way to diminish their environmental impact, to economically valorize them, and to face the depletion of virgin raw materials. In this work were prepared pigments having in their composition only industrial wastes: Cr/Ni electroplating (ES), and sludges from the cutting of natural stones—marble (MS) and granite (GS). The prepared mixtures were calcined at three temperatures (1100, 1200, and 1300 °C) and the obtained powders were characterized by XRD and UV-vis. Their coloring strength and thermal stability were assessed by adding them to different ceramic substrates: glazes (transparent bright and opaque matte) and a stoneware paste. The CIEL*a*b* coordinates of the fired materials were measured. The developed pigments are thermally stable and exhibit good tinting power, originating nicely colored and defect-free ceramic materials.