Characterization of clays of the South of the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil

Reference	Presenter	Authors (Institution)	Abstract
06-223	Monica Castoldi Borlini Gadioli	Gadioli, M.C.(Centro de Tecnologia Mineral); Sant'Ana, M.K.(Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo);	In the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil, there are seventy industries in the red ceramic segment, with clay being the main raw material for the production of red ceramics. The objective of this work is to characterize three types of clays of the South of the State of Espírito Santo used in the manufacture of red ceramics aiming to contribute technologically to the development of the sector. For this, the physical, chemical and mineralogical characterization of the clays was carried out. The clays were submitted to X-ray diffraction tests, chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence, thermo gravimetric and thermo differential thermal analysis, pycnometry density, particle size analysis and plasticity. The plasticity of the clays was determined by the Atterberg method. The results showed high percentage of Al2O3, low levels of alkaline oxides and high loss on ignition, characteristics of kaolinitic clays. The high loss on ignition indicates a high fraction of clay minerals. The main crystalline phases identified were quartz and kaolinite. The results showed that the clays are kaolinite and highly plastic. It is of great importance to know the characteristics of the clays so that it will be possible to use alternative raw materials that can contribute to the increase of the flux oxides in the ceramic mass and consequently to improve the properties of the final product.
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