Developing Ceramic Glaze Opacifier Using Bone Ash from Abattoirs

Development of glaze technology is of great important in ceramics in order to make the wares stronger, impervious to fluid, hygienic, and most especially aesthetically appealing to the eyes. Glazes can be classified in many ways, including its physical appearance. Opaque glaze falls under this category and the commonest way of creating opacity in glazes is usually using tin oxide and zirconium. It is observed that refined tin oxide is expensive despite its abundant availability in Nigeria while zirconium is rarely found in the country. Most small scale ceramics industries depend on imported ceramic materials among which are opacifiers because local ones are not adequately processed. Nigerians produced and consume a lot of cattle and animal products thereby causing lots of bones dumped in abattoirs. This research work tends to sort an alternative way of creating opacity in ceramic glazes using bone ash from abattoirs, with a view to using it as substitute to tin and zirconium oxides in which most small scale ceramic industries may not be able to afford.