MINERALES ARCILLOSOS DEL ECUADOR. PROTOCOLO DE CATEGORIZACIÓN CERÁMICA: UNA REVISIÓN

For the European ceramic sector, it is natural to recognize similar properties within a mine or mineral clay outcrop and to determine useful correspondences between the mineral nature and its properties. Thus, it is possible to predict the potential use of a batch of mineral, to agree on its influence on production and to prevent changes that could generate losses, minimize productivity and affect the quality of the products. In Latin America, and especially in Ecuador, there is a lack of information regarding the technological properties of raw materials used in the ceramic sector. Indeed, only a few industrials, artisans and research centers carry out formal studies to minimize the effect of raw materials in productivity and to control it.  Given the lack of knowledge to address this problematic, this paper suggests the use of a protocol for the characterization and evaluation of clay minerals, that could be used for both the artisanal and the industrial ceramic sector. In this way, this work has focused on exposing the technological and ceramic characteristics of clay minerals from Ecuador’s highlands, establishing its classification and presenting its potential application within the ceramic sector, based on the proposed categorization protocol.