Prospection and characterization of brazilian raw materials for the production of porcelain tiles

• Grant number: 23/01939-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Sergio Ricardo Christofoletti
• Grantee: Sergio Ricardo Christofoletti
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais (IPA). Secretaria de Meio Ambiente, Infraestrutura e Logística (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Antenor Zanardo ; Fabiano Tomazini da Conceição ; Fábio Gomes Melchiades ; Guillermo Rafael Beltran Navarro ; José Francisco Marciano Motta ; Michele Dondi

Abstract

In recent years, the ceramic coating industry has grown a lot all over the world and in Brazil, occupying a prominent position in the production and consumption of coatings. Among the manufactured products, porcelain tiles have stood out in the current market for ceramic tiles, being produced mainly in the cluster of Santa Catarina and Santa Gertrudes reaching, in 2021, the productive capacity of 217 million square meters per year. Porcelain tiles are produced from a composition of raw materials: plastic clays, kaolin, feldspar, talc and feldspar or quartz sand, with plastic/superplastic clays (30-40%) and feldspars (25-40%) being the main components of the masses. Considering the current high demand and the future supply of raw materials for the production of porcelain tiles, especially feldspars and plastic clays, this research aims to carry out the prospection and geological, geochemical and technological characterization of new occurrences of fluxing and alternative raw materials (rocks rich in feldspar/ feldspatoid and plastic clays (light and superplastic burning) in different geological environments, especially in the southeast and northeast of Brazil. As a final product of the research, the project aims to guarantee supply, especially to companies in the Ceramic Cluster of Santa Gertrudes in the search for suitable flux raw materials with the aim of reducing the consumption of natural gas, ensuring the economic and environmental sustainability of the sector. (AU)