Kaolin & Fire Clay

Mourad Hosni

Mourad.hosni@hotmail.com

9/1/2010
Mourad.Hosni@hotmail.com

Contents

Clay
Clay Minerals
Groups of clay minerals
Kaolin
Kaolin and its deposits in Egypt
Fire Clay
Properties and tests of fire clay
Industrial applications of fire clay
Manufacturing Process of fire clay

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Clay:
Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-
grained minerals, which show plasticity through a variable range of
water content, and which can be hardened when dried or fired. Clay
deposits are mostly composed of clay minerals (phyllosilicate
minerals), minerals which impart plasticity and harden when fired or
dried, and variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure
by polar attraction. Organic materials which do not impart plasticity may
also be a part of clay deposits.
Clay minerals are typically formed over long periods of time by the
gradual chemical weathering of rocks (usually silicate-bearing) by low
concentrations of carbonic acid and other diluted solvents. These
solvents (usually acidic) migrate through the weathering rock after
leaching through upper weathered layers. In addition to the weathering
process, some clay minerals are formed by hydrothermal activity. Clay
deposits may be formed in place as residual deposits, but thick
deposits usually are formed as the result of a secondary sedimentary
deposition process after they have been eroded and transported from
their original location of formation. Clay deposits are typically
associated with very low energy depositional environments such as
large lake and marine deposits.

Clay Minerals:
Clay minerals are hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, sometimes with
variable amounts of iron, magnesium, alkali metals, alkaline earths and
other cations. Clays have structures similar to the micas and therefore
form flat hexagonal sheets. Clay minerals are common weathering
products (including weathering of feldspar) and low temperature
hydrothermal alteration products. Clay minerals are very common in
fine grained sedimentary rocks such as shale, mudstone and siltstone
and in fine grained metamorphic slate and phyllite.

Clay minerals include the following groups:

1. Kaolin group which includes the minerals kaolinite, dickite,

halloysite and nacrite.
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Some sources include the serpentine group due to structural

similarities (Bailey 1980).
2. Smectite group which includes dioctahedral smectites such as
montmorillonite and nontronite and trioctahedral smectites for
example saponite.[1]
3. Illite group which includes the clay-micas. Illite is the only
common mineral.
4. Chlorite group includes a wide variety of similar minerals with
considerable chemical variation.

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Kaolin [ Kaolinite ]:
Kaolinite is a clay mineral with the chemical composition Al2Si2O5(OH)4.
It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through
oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra (Deer et
al., 1992). Rocks that are rich in kaolinite are known as china clay or
kaolin.
The name is derived from Gaolin 高岭 ("High Hill") in Jingdezhen,
Jiangxi province, China. Kaolinite was first described as a mineral
species in 1867 for an occurrence in the Jari River basin of Brazil.[3]
Kaolinite is one of the most common minerals; it is mined, as kaolin, in
Brazil, France, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Australia, Korea , the
People's Republic of China, and the USA.

Chemical formula : Al2Si2O5(OH)4

Color: White, sometimes red, blue or brown tints from impurities

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Crystal System: Triclinic

Cleavage: Perfect

Moh's Scale of hardness : 2-2.5

Luster: dull and earthy

Streak: white

Specific Gravity: 2.16 - 2.68

Kaolin deposits are found in three main areas in Egypt :

1- Sinai [ Nitch's Valley, Mesba' Salama, and Farsh El Ghezlan.]

2- Western Coast of Suez [ Abo El Darag, and El Galala El
Ba7areya.]
3- Aswan [ kalabsha]

These kaolins can satisfy the local demand for filler, paper and ceramic
industries 10 times for at least 50 years, in comparison to the current
demand. However, the Egyptian kaolin is hard and massive. It is also
low grade so that it needs beneficiation to be suitable for paper and
ceramic industries, which import their needs at the present time.
Beneficiation of the Egyptian kaolin from different localities indicated
their technical viability for ceramic production and as paper filler. In the
meantime, the Egyptian government has created a new healthy climate
to encourage investment in Egypt. For example, the government
provided many facilities to investors in the new cities, increased the
period of free taxes to 10–20 years (depending on the project site) and
reduced the interest of borrowing money from banks. All these
facilities, among others, will have a positive impact on the economic
viability of projects.

Kaolin reserve in Egypt is more than 200 million ton . it's used in
some industries like:
1- Ceramics
2- Rubber
3- Paper

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Fire Clay :
Fire clay is a specific kind of clay used in the manufacture of ceramics,
especially fire brick. The fire attribution is given for its refractory
characteristics. There are two types of fire clay: flint clay and plastic fire
clay.
It is resistant to high temperatures, has a fusion point higher than
1,600°C, and therefore it is suitable for lining furnaces, as fire brick,
and manufacture of utensils used in the metalworking industries, such
as crucibles, saggars, retorts, and glassware. Because of its stability
during firing in the kiln, it can be used to make complex items of pottery
such as pipes and sanitary ware. Its chemical composition consists of a
high percentage of silicon and aluminium oxides, and a low percentage
of the oxides of sodium, potassium, and calcium. Unlike conventional
brick-making clay, it is mined at depth, usually found as a seatearth
associated with coal measures.

A good fireclay should have 24-26% plasticity and shrinkage after firing
should be within 6-8% maximum. It should also not contain more than
25% Fe2O3.
Because of the abundant supply of fireclay and its comparative
cheapness, the refractory bricks made out of it are the most common
and extensively used in all places of heat generation
A group of refractory clays which can stand temperatures above
Pyrometric Cone Equivalent (PCE) 19 are called fireclay. The clay
which fuses below PCE 19 is not included under refractory. Fireclay is
essentially of kaolinite group and has a composition similar to that of
china-clay. In nature it is usually found to contain 24-32 per cent
Al2O3, 50-60% SiO2 and LOI between 9 to 12%. Impurities like oxides
of calcium, iron, titanium and magnesium and alkalies are invariably
present, making it white, grey and black in colour.

Properties and Tests

Refractoriness and plasticity are the two main properties needed in
fireclay for its suitability in the manufacture of refractory bricks. A good
fireclay, should have a high fusion point and good plasticity. Depending
upon their capacity to withstand high temperatures before melting, the
fireclays are graded into the following:
Low duty - withstand temperatures between 1515-1615°C (PCE 19 to
28)
Intermediate duty - 1650°C (PCE 30)
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High duty - 1700°C (PCE 32)

Super duty - 1775°C (PCE 35)
The pyrometric cone equivalent (PCE) of a particular fireclay as
designed by Edward Orton, Jr., is determined by testing against a
series of standardised test pieces, cone shaped and having ceramic
composition with different softening points, one withstanding a little
higher temperature than the other.

The test pieces are generally made to form triangular pyramids having
a height 4 times the base. The softening point is reached depending
upon the temperature and the rate of rise of heat. Cones are numbered
from 022, 021, 020, 02, 01, 1, 2 to 42. Where the softening range in
cones is too close, for example, in 21, 22, 24 and 25, they are omitted
from the series and where the temperature range is widely spaced,
extra cones like 311/2, 321/2 etc. are added. At the rate of 20ºC rise
per hour in temperature the cones numbering 022 to 01 have softening
points between 585ºC to 1110ºC and those numbered 1 to 35 have
softening points between 1125ºC to 1775ºC. Thus, the predetermined
pyrometric cone equivalents of standard test-pieces are placed along
with cone made of the samples to be tested in the furnace and the
PCE's of the samples are determined by comparison. The softening
point is noticed when the tip of the cone starts bending with the rise of
the temperature. In practise it has been observed that the higher the
alumina content in the fireclay, the higher is the fusion point. All
fireclays are not necessarily plastic clays. In such cases, some plastic
clay, like ball clay is added to increase platicity to a suitable degree. A
good fireclay should have 24-26% plasticity and shrinkage after firing
should be within 6-8% maximum. It should also not contain more than
25% Fe2O3. It has been observed that some clays lacking plasticity
when allowed to 'weather', i.e. left in the open for a few months,
become plastic due to the formation of humic acid in the clay. Non-
plastic fireclay is also known as flint-clay. It may be called semi-flint
and semi-plastic depending upon the degree of plasticity.

Industrial Applications
Because of the abundant supply of fireclay and its comparative
cheapness, the refractory bricks made out of it are the most common
and extensively used in all places of heat generation, like:
in boiler furnaces
glass melting furnaces
chimney linings
pottery kilnsblast furnaces

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reheating furnaces
Fireclay is classified under acid refractories. Acid refractories are those
which are not attacked by acid slag. In blast furnaces, the lining is done
almost entirely with fireclay bricks. Pouring refractories like sleeves,
nozzles, stoppers and tuyers are made of fireclay.

Manufacturing Process
Manufacturing of refractory bricks from fire-clay is an interesting
feature. The clay mined is stacked in the factory yard and allowed to
weather for about a year. For daily production of different types of
refractories, this weathered clay is taken and mixed in different
percentages with grog.

The mixture is sent to the grinding mill from where it is transferred to

the pug mill. In the pug mill a suitable proportion of water is added so
as to give it proper plasticity. The mould is supplied to different
machines for making standard bricks or shapes. Intricate shapes are
made by hand. The bricks thus made are then dried in hot floor driers
and after drying they are loaded in kilns for firing. The firing ranges are,
of course, different for different grades of refractories. After firing, the
kilns are allowed to cool; then the bricks are unloaded. By burning
fireclay is converted into a stone-like material, highly resistant to acid,
water and most other solutions. While manufacturing high aluminous
fire-bricks bauxite is added along with grog in suitable proportions.

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References:

1- Nagui A. Abdel-Khalek, The Egyptian kaolin: an outlook in the

view of the new climate of investment

2- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay

3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_mineral

4- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaolinite

5- http://www.sis.gov.eg/Ar/Pub/egyptmagazine/issue44/110407000
000000010.htm

6- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_clay

7- http://www.mineralszone.com/minerals/fire-clay.html