A particulate mixture, suitable for use in ceramic article production, wherein the mixture includes from 30 wt % to 80 wt % recycled aluminium silicate material. The particulate mixture has a particle size distribution such that: (i) the d.sub.50 particle size is from 10 μm to 30 μm; (ii) the d.sub.70 particle size is less than 40 μm; and (iii) the d.sub.98 particle size is less than 60 μm.

A process for the production of a ceramic article includes the steps of: (a) preparing a particulate mixture; (b) contacting the particulate mixture to water to form a humidified mixture; (c) pressing the humidified mixture to form a green article; (d) optionally, subjecting the green article to an initial drying step; (e) optionally, glazing the green article to form a glazed green article; (f) subjecting the green article to a heat treatment step to form a hot fused article; and (g) cooling the hot fused article to form a glazed ceramic article. The particulate mixture includes from 30 wt % to 80 wt % recycled aluminium silicate material. The particulate mixture has: (i) a d.sub.50 particle size from 10 μm to 30 μm; (ii) a d.sub.70 particle size of less than 40 μm; and (iii) a d.sub.98 particle size of less than 60 μm. Steps (c) and (f), and optionally steps (d) and (e) are continuous process steps.

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.

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a ceramic article containing industrial, domestic or natural sludge, the ceramic article, and treated domestic or natural sludge suitable as raw material for the production of the ceramic article. The sludge (which definition excludes digestate that is obtained from a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) process comprising liquefaction of the organic fraction of MSW by addition of one or more enzymes) has been pretreated by a process comprising the optional step of drying the sludge to a moisture content of at most 10% by weight, resulting in dried sludge, and heating the sludge or dried sludge in a spouting bed incinerator and reducing the content of organic matter to less than 5% by weight. The invention furthermore relates to a process wherein the pretreatment comprises using the domestic or natural sludge as a food source for larvae.

The present invention discloses a method for preparing a low-density proppant by taking oil-based mud wastes as raw materials. The method includes following steps: S1, determining content of oils, silicon oxide, alumina and water in the oil-based mud wastes; S2, adding a viscosity modifier, a framework material and a pore-forming agent into oil-based mud wastes so as to obtain mixed slurry; S3, performing ball milling on mixed slurry to form powder, granulating and drying the powder, and forming a proppant pellet billet; S4, performing dehydrogenation pre-sintering on the pellet billet, and performing carbide reaction pre-sintering; and S5, performing final sintering in a natural gas protective atmosphere, thereby obtaining the low-density proppant that takes silicon carbide as the framework material. In the present invention, the low-density proppant is prepared by taking the oil-based mud wastes produced in a drilling process as the raw materials, thereby recycling the oil-based mud wastes.

An infrared ray radiated from a region of a surface of an object to which a coating film (20) of a coating material is provided is detected by an infrared sensor (42). The coating film (20) includes a porous ceramic particle (22) and a binder (24), and the ceramic particle (22) includes a compound represented by a compositional formula of any of A.sub.aR.sub.bAl.sub.cO.sub.4, A.sub.aR.sub.bGa.sub.cO.sub.4, R.sub.x, Al.sub.yO.sub.12, and R.sub.xGa.sub.yO.sub.12. Here, A is one or more elements selected from a group consisting of Ca, Sr, and Ba, and R is one or more elements selected from a group consisting of rare earth elements. Also, a is equal to or greater than 0.9 and equal to or less than 1.1, b is equal to or greater than 0.9 and equal to or less than 1.1, c is equal to or greater than 0.9 and equal to or less than 1.1, x is equal to or greater than 2.9 and equal to or less than 3.1, and y is equal to or greater than 4.9 and equal to or less than 5.1. A porosity of the ceramic particle (22) is equal to or greater than 20% and equal to or less than 40%.

An infrared ray radiated from a region of a surface of an object to which a coating film (20) of a coating material is provided is detected by an infrared sensor (42). The coating film (20) includes a porous ceramic particle (22) and a binder (24), and the ceramic particle (22) includes a compound represented by a compositional formula of any of A.sub.aR.sub.bAl.sub.cO.sub.4, A.sub.aR.sub.bGa.sub.cO.sub.4, R.sub.x, Al.sub.yO.sub.12, and R.sub.xGa.sub.yO.sub.12. Here, A is one or more elements selected from a group consisting of Ca, Sr, and Ba, and R is one or more elements selected from a group consisting of rare earth elements. Also, a is equal to or greater than 0.9 and equal to or less than 1.1, b is equal to or greater than 0.9 and equal to or less than 1.1, c is equal to or greater than 0.9 and equal to or less than 1.1, x is equal to or greater than 2.9 and equal to or less than 3.1, and y is equal to or greater than 4.9 and equal to or less than 5.1. A porosity of the ceramic particle (22) is equal to or greater than 20% and equal to or less than 40%.

What are described are a process for producing an insulating product for the construction materials industry or an insulating material as intermediate for production of such a product, and a corresponding insulating material/insulating product. Also described are the use of a matrix encapsulation method for production of composite particles in the production of an insulating product for the construction materials industry or of an insulating material as intermediate for production of such a product, and the corresponding use of the composite particles producible by means of a matrix encapsulation method

A ceramsite produced by using a river/lake/sea sludge and seashell powder as raw materials and a preparation method thereof are provided. The ceramsite is made of the following raw materials in parts by weight: 15-50 parts of shell powder, 5-15 parts of kaolin, 1-5 parts of peat ash, 15-30 parts of siliceous shale, 15-40 parts of furnace slag, 10-20 parts of fly ash, 15-40 parts of zeolite, 10-30 parts of river/lake/sea sludge, and 10-25 parts of peat. The shell powder is pulverized to a particle size of 60-200 mesh in fineness. A content of silica in the siliceous shale is 87.0%-89.5%. The preparation method of the ceramsite includes the following steps: taking raw materials, pulverizing, stirring, granulating, calcining, and naturally cooling, so as to obtain the ceramsite.

A ceramsite produced by using a river/lake/sea sludge and seashell powder as raw materials and a preparation method thereof are provided. The ceramsite is made of the following raw materials in parts by weight: 15-50 parts of shell powder, 5-15 parts of kaolin, 1-5 parts of peat ash, 15-30 parts of siliceous shale, 15-40 parts of furnace slag, 10-20 parts of fly ash, 15-40 parts of zeolite, 10-30 parts of river/lake/sea sludge, and 10-25 parts of peat. The shell powder is pulverized to a particle size of 60-200 mesh in fineness. A content of silica in the siliceous shale is 87.0%-89.5%. The preparation method of the ceramsite includes the following steps: taking raw materials, pulverizing, stirring, granulating, calcining, and naturally cooling, so as to obtain the ceramsite.