Ceramic particles for use in a solar power tower and methods for making and using the ceramic particles are disclosed. The ceramic particle can include a sintered ceramic material formed from a mixture of a raw material and MnO. The sintered ceramic material can include about 0.01 wt % to about 10 wt % MnO, about 0.1 wt % to about 20 wt % Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, and about 0.01 wt % to about 10 wt % Mn.sub.2O.sub.3. The ceramic particle can have a size from about 8 mesh to about 170 mesh.

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.

A method for making ceramic composites via sintering a mixture of alumina and oil fly ash. The alumina is in the form of nanoparticles and/or microparticles. The oil fly ash may be treated with an acid prior to the sintering. The composite may comprise graphite carbon derived from oil fly ash dispersed in an alumina matrix. The density, mechanical performance (e.g. Vickers hardness, fracture toughness), and thermal properties (e.g. thermal expansion, thermal conductivity) of the ceramic composites prepared by the method are also specified.

The invention relates to a fire-resistant ceramic product, a batch for manufacturing a product of said type, and a process for manufacturing a product of said type.

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.

A radon-free ceramic panel includes a mixture including two or more types of stone dust selected from among granite, basalt, limestone, dolomite, elvan, black stone, feldspar, and sandstone, along with waste slag and a non-phenolic adhesive. The ceramic panel is lightweight and has excellent fire resistance, heat insulation, corrosion resistance, water resistance, and ability to act as a bather to radon gas.

The present invention relates to a method for obtaining calcium aluminates for metallurgical use from non-saline aluminum slags by means of reactive grinding and thermal treatment.

Ceramic particles for use in a solar power tower and methods for making and using the ceramic particles are disclosed. The ceramic particle can include a sintered ceramic material formed from a mixture of a ceramic raw material and a darkening component comprising MnO as Mn.sup.2+. The ceramic particle can have a size from about 8 mesh to about 170 mesh and a density of less than 4 g/cc.

Ceramic particles for use in a solar power tower and methods for making and using the ceramic particles are disclosed. The ceramic particle can include a sintered ceramic material formed from a mixture of a ceramic raw material and a darkening component comprising MnO as Mn.sup.2+. The ceramic particle can have a size from about 8 mesh to about 170 mesh and a density of less than 4 g/cc.