Ceramic Behaviour of Some Raw Materials from Ecuador

This note is a preliminary study about the possibility of using local clays from Ecuador in industrial ceramics. The clays deposits studied were highly plastic raw materials with very high contents of quartz. The raw material in traditional ceramics in Ecuador is clay with approximate levels of silica at 60 mass-%, alumina 15 mass-%, low alkalis and carbonates, and high iron levels. The sample mineralogy indicates quartz as a primary mineral, followed by anorthite, with haematite to a lesser extent in all the samples. Kaolinite, illite and chlorite are the main clay minerals in the raw material samples. The studied clays seem to be easily adaptable to a correct dry pressing ceramic process. Another application would be the formulation of pastes for table pottery, decorative ceramics, ceramics for construction, and semi-refractory bricks.