Waste disposal options for refractory tearout

The variety of refractory ceramic applications in industry makes the management of waste refractory interesting. Both the type of refractory and its specific application affect the proper characterization and disposal under environmental protection laws. Although this article focuses on used refractory from tearout operations, similar principles are appropriate for other industrial uses of ceramics. Refractory brick are used for steel-industry furnace linings, cement kilns, aluminum pot linings, municipal waste combustors, hazardous waste incinerators, and chemical and glass manufacturing equipment. The regulations affecting tearout refractory disposal consider how the refractory is generated, what is the composition of the refractory and what materials are associated with the refractory during tearout. The pollution regulations which apply are first described, then disposal options are discussed. The so-called Debris Rule of the USEPA is also described, since it offers another disposal method for refractory waste.