# Research on the Preparation of Porous Ceramics from Gold Tailings and the Thermal Insulation and Heat Resistance Properties

## TL;DR

This study shows how gold tailings can be turned into high-performance porous ceramics for thermal insulation.

## Contribution

A novel method for creating porous ceramics from gold tailings with excellent thermal and mechanical properties.

## Key findings

- Ceramics achieved porosity of 60.1–83.7% with compressive strength of 3.25–7.18 MPa.
- Thermal conductivity ranged from 0.15–0.32 W·m−1·K−1, meeting and exceeding national standards.
- Gold tailings were effectively used to produce standardized materials for industrial insulation.

## Abstract

This study demonstrates a high-value pathway for fabricating porous ceramics by utilizing gold tailings (GT) as the principal raw material, with silicon carbide (SiC) as a high-temperature foaming agent. The microstructure, mechanical strength, and thermal conductivity were tailored by adjusting GT content, sintering temperature, raw material particle size, and foaming agent dosage. The optimized ceramics exhibit a total porosity of 60.1–83.7%, a compressive strength of 3.25–7.18 MPa, and a thermal conductivity of 0.15–0.32 W·m−1·K−1. These properties not only meet, but in fact exceed the key requirements specified in the Chinese National Standard GB/T 16533-1996 for porous thermal insulation ceramics. Notably, the materials achieve an optimal balance between high porosity and adequate mechanical strength. The findings confirm that gold tailings can be effectively valorized to produce standardized, porous ceramics suitable for industrial thermal insulation applications.