Dear Colleagues,

Mullite (3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂) is an aluminosilicate characterized by excellent physical properties, such as good resistance to thermal shock, low thermal conductivity, good resistance to wear and deformation, working temperature over 1200 °C, etc., which make it an important ceramic material. In this way, ceramic materials based on mullite find application in different technological fields as refractory material (metallurgy, glass, ceramics, etc.), matrix in composite materials for high temperature applications, substrate in multilayer packaging, protective coatings, components of turbine engines, windows transparent to infrared radiation, etc.

However, mullite is scarce in nature so it has to be manufactured through different synthesis methods, such as sintering, melting + crystallization or through a sol-gel route. Commonly, mullite is fabricated from pure technical grade raw materials, making the manufacturing process expensive. An alternative to lowering the cost is the use of mining waste as silica and alumina feedstock, which are the necessary chemical compounds required to manufacture mullite ceramics. In addition to the economic benefits, the use of mining waste brings environmental benefits as it prevents the over-exploitation of natural resources and reduces the volume of mining waste that needs to be managed.

For this Special Issue on “Mining Waste as Raw Materials for Mullite-Based Ceramics”, researchers can report findings on the use of sterile materials generated in mining activities (rubble, sludge, etc.) for the manufacture of ceramic materials containing mullite as a main crystalline phase (refractories, porcelain, porcelain stoneware, substrates, filters, coatings, membranes, composites, etc.). Given your reputed experience in this field and the outstanding impact of your previous publications, we would very much appreciate your contribution in this Special Issue of Minerals.

Dr. Maximina Romero
Dr. Aurora López-Delgado
Dr. Isabel Padilla
Guest Editors

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• Mining Waste
• Mullite
• Sintering
• Melting + crystallization
• Sol-gel
• Porcelain and porcelain stoneware
• Refractories
• Coatings
• Membranes
• Composites