Argila de Belterra das coberturas de bauxitas da Amazônia como matéria-prima para a produção de cerâmica vermelha

Abstract

The Amazon region holds the largest reserves of bauxite in Brazil, whose deposits are covered by a thick bundle of clay material, known as Belterra Clay (ABT). The wide distribution, superficial occurrence, therefore accessible, and clayey ABT nature have aroused the interest of this work in evaluating its technical viability for the production of red ceramics. For the present study, ABT was selected from the large bauxite deposits of Rondon do Pará, samples of the yellow soils from Mosqueiro, illitic clay and gibbsitic clays and one sample of the clayey siltstone. This clay and other materials used as additives were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (FRX) (CT), Spectrometric Thermal Analysis (TG), Differential Scanning Calorimete (DSC), Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Laser Particle (APL). To determine the physical and mechanical properties, were produce specimens through different mixtures with the samples of Belterra clay and percentages (20, 30 and 40%) of the yellow soil, clayey siltstone, gibbsitic clays and illitic clay. The specimens were calcined at three different temperature moments (900, 1000 and 1200 ° C). Then, linear retraction, water absorption, apparent porosity, apparent density and bending rupture tension were measured. ABT is essentially kaolinite, having quartz, goethite, anatase and gibbsite as accessory minerals. The pure and simple ABT did not present favorable technological aspects for the production of ceramic products, however the same with addition of the yellow soil and clayey silt from the same region significantly improved the technological characteristics of the ABT.