The disclosure relates to tiles or slabs comprising a fired ceramic material which has a chemical composition with a particular combination of oxides; to a method for the manufacture of said tiles or slabs; and to the use thereof for construction or decoration applications.

The present invention discloses a method of manufacturing micronized sandstone obtained from ceramics or industrial wastes of ceramic manufacturing, such as white paste, natural stones or clinker, including TiO.sub.2 as bio-additive, and product obtained by the micronized sandstone thereof. The ceramics and industrial wastes of ceramic are grinded in several steps and the resultant powders are collected by means of individual filters and further combined in a nanopowder micronizer for posterior treatment, where TiO.sub.2 hydrolyzed can be optionally added. This micronized sandstone comprising the bio-additive TiO.sub.2 is used in the production of plasters, mortars, grouts and/or as additive for paints and/or epoxy enriched with TiO.sub.2. The micronized sandstone bio-additive with TiO.sub.2 can be additionally subjected to two optional embodiments of the invention: treatment with or without the use of a pigment. In order to obtain the final product that can be used in the production of blocks, floors and other products of various sizes, an agglomerating agent combined with TiO.sub.2 is added to the micronized sandstone comprising the bio-additive TiO.sub.2, either in an aqueous solution or as a dry product, optionally including colored oxides.

The novel process enables designing of raw materials and processing parameters, enabling synergistic and simultaneous chemical reactions among the various reactants of the design mix of chemical precursor of brine sludge which includes barium sulphate, magnesium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, sodium chloride, silica, aluminum containing compounds necessary for developing highly efficient shielding phases leading to homogenous matrix of shielding materials.

Disclosed are methods of preparing drilling fluid compositions containing treated calcium bentonite. One such method includes mixing calcium bentonite with an aqueous mixture containing soda ash, followed by adding starch to form the treated bentonite mixture that is used to prepare a drilling fluid composition. Another method includes mixing the calcium bentonite with an aqueous mixture containing soda ash and magnesium oxide, followed by adding starch to form the treated bentonite mixture that is used to prepare a drilling fluid composition.

The use of a clay including: less than 25% of kaolinite; and at least 20% of muscovite and/or illite; the muscovite and/or illite/kaolinite weight ratio being greater than 1, for the preparation of a pozzolanic material.

A vermiculite core for a vehicle may include vermiculite and pearlstone, an aluminum component for the vehicle may be manufactured using the vermiculite core including the vermiculite and the pearlstone, and a method for manufacturing the vermiculite core for the vehicle may include mixing the vermiculite and the pearlstone, injecting a mixture of the vermiculite and the pearlstone into a mold, and pressing the mixture using a presser.

A porous sintered clay mineral matrix that contains aluminum and is doped with 0.1-20 mol %, based on the amount of the aluminum, one or more transition metals, one or more post-transition metals, one or more rare earth metals, or a combination thereof. An example is a kaolinite matrix. The matrix can be made from a calcined clay mineral powder that contains aluminum and is doped with at least one of these metals. Also disclosed are methods of preparing the above-described matrix and powder.

The present invention relates to a combined warmer and seat fumigator using bioceramics and, more specifically, to a combined warmer and seat fumigator using bioceramics, the combined warmer and seat fumigator being capable of carrying out both thermotherapy and fumigation therapy, having excellent heat insulation, ultralight weight, nonflammability, low gas toxicity, thermal conductivity and deodorizability, and having immune function improvement and inflammation alleviation efficacy through far infrared ray emissivity, radiant energy, anion generation and antibacterial ability.

An object of the present invention is to provide a building large porcelain panel that prevents the efflorescence.

As the solutions, a building large porcelain panel according to the present invention is formed by kneading a raw material formulation containing, as a main material, a refractory aggregate, a glassy raw material, and cement, and subjecting the raw material formulation to molding and then firing, wherein the building large porcelain panel has a Na.sub.2O content of 1 mass% or less in an entire chemical-component composition of the building large porcelain panel fired. In addition, the building large porcelain panel has a Na2O content of 1% or less and containing 0.5 to 7% of BaO and 0.5 to 8% of B.sub.2O.sub.3 (12% or less of the BaO and the B.sub.2O.sub.3) at mass-based chemical component values.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for producing seeds that are transformed into hollow spheres. A seed includes a core and a coating. Upon heating, the coating becomes viscous and expands responsive to an internal gas pressure created by the core. Example applications for the seeds and/or cores are disclosed, including bricks and other construction materials having the hollow spheres incorporated therein.