In recent years, clay ceramic particles have been banned from production and use in certain areas due to limitations in land resources. But in some areas, production can be carried out using river silt, abandoned mountain soil, etc. Clay ceramic particles are generally processed using the plastic method, and the process is as follows.
Plastic method process: suitable for clay and clay materials
Process 1: Clay → Plasticization and homogenization → Roller granulation → Roasting → Cooling → Finished product
Process 2: Raw material mixing - granulation - screening - sintering - stacking - transportation (bagging)
Process one and process two have the same process, and attention should be paid to observation during operation to prevent materials from clumping in the kiln and affecting quality.
Ceramic particles are classified according to their raw materials:
(1) Aluminum vanadium clay ceramic sand
Made from various raw materials such as high-quality bauxite and coal, through multiple processes such as crushing, fine crushing, grinding, granulation, and high-temperature sintering, it is characterized by high temperature resistance, high pressure, high strength, strong conductivity, and corrosion resistance. It is mainly used for underground support in oil fields to increase the production of petroleum and natural gas, and is an environmentally friendly product. It is a substitute for medium and low strength proppants such as natural quartz sand, glass balls, and metal balls, which has a good effect on increasing oil and gas production. It is also one of the largest varieties of ceramic sand in current demand, also known as petroleum fracturing proppant ceramic sand.
(2) Fly ash ceramic sand
A lightweight coarse aggregate with a particle size of over 5mm, made mainly from solid waste, added with a certain amount of binder and water, processed into balls, sintered and expanded, or naturally cured, is abbreviated as fly ash ceramic particles.
(3) Clay ceramic sand
Light coarse aggregates with a particle size of over 5mm, mainly made from clay, sub clay, etc., processed and granulated, are called clay ceramic particles.
(4) Shale ceramic sand
Also known as expansive shale. Shale ceramic particles are light and coarse aggregates with a particle size of over 5mm, which are formed by crushing, screening, or grinding clay shale, slate, etc. into balls, and then burning and swelling. Shale ceramic particles can be divided into ordinary shale ceramic particles that have been crushed, screened, and expanded by firing according to the process method; Spherical shale ceramic particles formed by grinding, balling, and burning.
Clay ceramic particles, fly ash ceramic particles, and shale ceramic particles are suitable for lightweight aggregate concrete used for insulation and structural insulation, and can also be used for lightweight aggregate concrete used for structures. The main use of shale ceramic particles is to produce small hollow blocks and lightweight partition panels of lightweight aggregate concrete.
(5) Garbage ceramic sand
With the continuous development and growth of cities, the amount of garbage in cities is increasing. Dealing with urban garbage has become an increasingly prominent problem. Garbage ceramic pellets are produced by granulating and roasting urban household waste after treatment to produce sintered ceramic pellets. Alternatively, the waste incineration slag can be added to cement for granulation, natural curing, and the production of unburned waste ceramic particles. Garbage ceramic particles have the characteristics of abundant raw materials, low cost, low energy consumption, light weight and high strength. In addition to being used as new wall materials such as wall panels, blocks, and bricks, garbage ceramic particles can also be used for insulation, floor slabs, lightweight concrete, water treatment and purification, and have a broad market.
(6) Coal gangue ceramic sand
Coal gangue is a black waste rock with low carbon content discharged during the coal mining process, and it is the largest solid waste in China. Its discharge and accumulation not only occupy a large amount of farmland, but also cause great pollution to the surface and atmosphere. The chemical composition of coal gangue is similar to that of clay. Coal gangue contains high levels of carbon and sulfur, resulting in significant loss on ignition. Only within a certain temperature range can a sufficient amount of molten material with suitable viscosity be produced, which has expansion properties. According to its characteristics, China has developed coal gangue ceramic sand.
Coal gangue ceramic sand is produced by crushing, preheating, swelling, cooling, grading, and packaging coal gangue that meets the requirements of swelling. The quality of the obtained ceramic sand products fully meets national standards, with some technical indicators exceeding national standards and reaching the quality of similar foreign products. This product is innovative, advanced, and belongs to the environmental protection category.
(7) Biological sludge ceramic particles
The sewage treatment plant produces a large amount of biological sludge after treating sewage, some of which are made into agricultural fertilizers, some are directly used for greening, and some are discharged into the sea or burned, which can cause secondary ecological environment pollution. The ceramic pellets made from biological sludge as the main raw material, which are dried, ground, pelletized, and sintered, are called sewage treatment biological sludge ceramic pellets. Using biological sludge instead of some clay to burn ceramic pellets not only saves clay, but also protects farmland and plays a certain environmental role.
(8) River bottom mud ceramic particles
A large amount of rivers and lakes have formed a lot of sediment after years of sedimentation. The ceramic particles made by using river bottom mud instead of clay, through dredging, natural drying, raw material balling, preheating, roasting, and cooling, are called river bottom mud ceramic particles. Using river sediment to produce ceramic pellets not only reduces the competition between building materials manufacturing and agricultural land, but also finds a reasonable way out for river sediment, solves the problem of secondary pollution of river sediment, and achieves the goal of waste resource utilization.