A water-based paint includes a fine powder composition which includes fine powdery clay minerals comprising pyrophyllite and sepiolite, a fine powdery thixotropy support agent containing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and comprising first and second agents having 2 percent by weight aqueous solution viscosities at 20 C. of 2400 mPa.Math.S to 4500 mPa.Math.S and 64000 mPa.Math.S to 90000 mPa.Math.S, respectively, and a fine powdery inorganic porous material comprising diatomaceous earth and zeolite. A thixotropic index when the fine powder composition is dispersed and dissolved in water is 3.0 to 4.0. The thixotropy support agent includes 67 to 91 percent by weight of the first agent and 9 to 33 percent by weight of the second 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 ceramic composition which can be used as a sintering aid includes 1-2 mol % of magnesium oxide (MgO), 5-15 mol % of aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), 25-40 mol % of silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), 40-55 mol % of calcium oxide (CaO), 0.1-8 mol % of ferric oxide (Fe.sub.2O.sub.3), 0.1-2 mol % of sulfur trioxide (SO.sub.3) and 0.1-2 mol % of titanium oxide (TiO.sub.2). Alternatively, the ceramic composition includes 1-8 mol % of MgO, 5-15 mol % of Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 25-40 mol % of SiO.sub.2, 40-55 mol % of CaO, 0.1-8 mol % of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, 0.1-2 mol % of SO.sub.3 and 0.9-2 mol % of TiO.sub.2.

A method for treating a smectite clay, a smectite clay obtained by said method and the various uses of the treated smectite clay.

A method for producing an electrically-conductive pellet includes reducing a size of a first material. The method also includes wetting the first material to produce a first slurry. The method also includes introducing the first slurry into a fluidizer to produce a first pellet. The method also includes reducing a size of a second material. The second material is an electrically-conductive material. The method also includes wetting the second material to produce a second slurry. The method also includes applying the second slurry to the first pellet.

What are described are a process for producing an insulating product for the refractory industry or an insulating material as intermediate for production of such a product, and a corresponding insulating material/insulating product. Likewise described are the use of a matrix encapsulation process in the production of an insulating product for the refractory industry and a corresponding insulating product and/or an insulating material as intermediate for production of such a product.

What are described are a process for producing an insulating product for the refractory industry or an insulating material as intermediate for production of such a product, and a corresponding insulating material/insulating product. Likewise described are the use of a matrix encapsulation process in the production of an insulating product for the refractory industry and a corresponding insulating product and/or an insulating material as intermediate for production of such a product.

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.

Material, use thereof and method to manufacture said material; wherein the material is porous and has: a total porosity ranging from 50% to 80%, in particular from 60% to 70%; interconnected pores; at least a part made of a hydrophilic material, in particular at least a part of the inner surfaces of the pores is made of a hydrophilic material; a permeability coefficient greater than 10.sup.6 m/sec; and wherein, in a given volume of the material, the total volume of pores with a diameter ranging from 0.1 m to approximately 0.3 nm is at least greater than 15% of the total volume of the pores, preferably it ranges from 15 to 36%.