A method for preparing ceramsite by using municipal sludge as raw material, including the following specific steps: drying; preparing ingredients including raw sludge, fly ash, kaolinite, steelmaking slag, zeolite, hematite, calcareous shale, waste incineration fly ash, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, waste glass, calcium carbonate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium benzoate; mixing and stirring uniformly, and putting the stirred materials into a granulating machine for granulation; drying and preheating the material pellets after granulation, and then quickly transferring to a sintering device for first sintering at a low temperature and then sintering at a high temperature; crushing large chunks of the cooled materials; and separating and screening the crushed materials. The method of the present invention reduces the generation of the large chunks of the cooled materials in the obtained ceramsite, thereby reducing the subsequent crushing work and saving energy consumption accordingly.

Described herein is a composition for use in a geosynthetic clay liner, the composition comprising particles, at least some of which are discrete particles and each comprise: a compacted swelling clay, the clay having been compacted such that it at least partially surrounds a fluid-loss preventing polymer. Also described herein is a clay liner formed from the composition, a method for producing particles for use in a geosynthetic clay liner, and a method of forming a clay liner.

A method for recovering valuable metals and simultaneously preparing ceramsite by roasting cyanide tailing belongs to the area of comprehensive recovery and high value utilization of metallurgical waste residue. In this method, cyanide tailings, bentonite, calcium chloride, coal powder and albite are mixed by ball milling according to certain weight ratio to get a mixture. After drying and roasting twice, dust is collected from the roasted ash, the obtained polymetallic ash is collected and treated. The secondary calcined material is cooled to obtain ceramsite. The invention volatilizes and recovers the valuable metal in the roasting and sintering process of cyanide tailings and directly prepares the ceramsite through reasonable batching, which achieves the effect of recycling cyanide tailings and high-value utilization, can create good economic and environmental benefits, and has significant effect of energy saving and consumption reduction.

A composition comprises at least one form of attapulgite present in a solid weight fraction amount ranging from 0.25% to 5%; kaolin present in a solid weight fraction amount ranging from 17% to 50%; one or more lignosulfonic acid binders chosen from lignosulfonic acid, esters thereof salts thereof, and hydrates thereof; and optionally Ball Clay in a solid weight fraction amount ranging from 0% to 25%. Although makeable by other processes, in some embodiments, the composition is makeable by mixing component ingredients. Although usable for other purposes, in some embodiments, the composition is used to make ceramic pieces, e.g., via casting, pressing, jiggering or jollying, especially when the slip has solids, chemistry and viscosity suitable for shaping before drying, sintering, and optionally finishing.

An apparatus and method for debindering a cellular ceramic green body. The apparatus includes a flow modulation member to selectively restrict circulation of a heated oxygen-containing atmosphere through a top of a cellular core section of the green body. The method includes heating the green body in a circulating oxygen-containing atmosphere while selectively restricting circulation of the atmosphere through the top of the cellular core section of the green body.

A refractory formulation containing an anhydrous solvent, an oleophilic rheology modifier and a refractory aggregate exhibits non-thermoplastic behavior, and remains plastic and formable at temperatures in the range of 10 degrees Celsius to 180 degrees Celsius. The oleophilic rheology modifier may effectively bind with the solvent to create a gel-like structure with organic solvents with moderate to high polarity. A phyllosilicate clay that has been treated with a quaternary fatty acid amine may be used as the oleophilic rheology modifier.

A lightweight high-strength ceramsite, comprising solid raw materials and activator as the raw materials, which can be respectively expressed in parts by weight, the solid raw materials: 100 parts, the activator: 1-15 parts; wherein said solid raw materials comprise fly ash: 100 parts, high-alumina fly ash, bauxite and red mud: 6-18 parts, silica fume: 1-5 parts, surfactant: 0.1-3 parts, plasticizer: 6-24 parts; and said activator comprises alkali metal hydroxide: 5-20 parts and alkali metal silicate: 80-95 parts. The lightweight high-strength ceramsite product prepared has a density level of 700-1100 kg/m3 and cylindrical compressive strength of 10-20 MPa, and thus is not susceptible to damage.

A composition for a refractory material comprising a base mixture having a composition in oxide (mol %) as follows: SiO2 between 69% and 73%; Al2O3 between 22% and 28%; TiO2 between 0.4% and 1%; Fe2O3 between 0.2% and 1%; CaO between 0.1% and 1%; MgO between 0.1% and 1%; K.sub.2O between 0.5% and 2%; Na.sub.2O between 0.1% and 0.5%; and comprising a filler mixture comprising at least one from between a schamotte and a smelting agent.

A base material for a disk roll containing a layered silicate, in which the layered silicate is constituted to contain two or more kinds of minerals having an interlayer distance exceeding 10 angstroms. A base material for a disk roll is excellent in the compressive strength and wear resistance thereby.

A foundry media pellet includes a sintered ceramic material having a size from about 10 AFS GFN to about 110 AFS GFN, and a surface roughness of less than about 4 microns.