Basic Guidelines for Prospecting and Technological Assessment of Clays for the Ceramic Industry, Part 1

Abstract: Clays are irreplaceable raw materials for ceramic processing. The availability of clay deposits of suitable quality and quantity is an important competitive factor and a key issue for the economic sustainability of ceramic production. The identification of adequate sources of clay materials is an important issue that requires an appropriate methodological approach. In the form of simple guidelines, this articles reports on how to conduct clay prospecting and evaluate the technological properties of raw materials. This first part describes the deposits of different types of ceramic clays, illustrating their origin, composition and geological criteria in the prospection. The second part will introduce the technological evaluation of clay materials, and describe in detail the four steps of clay prospecting.