Ball
clays are sedimentary (kaolinitic) and used in ceramic and
pottery application. Ball clays comprises three dominant minerals;
kaolinite (20%-80%), mica (10%-25%) and quartz (6%-65%). In addition,
there are other accessory minerals and some carbonaceous material
(derived from ancient plants) present in ball clay. There is a
variation in mineral composition and size of ball clay particles
thus, they have different characteristics.
The physical
properties of ball clay vary hence used according in various end user
industries. However, the general properties of ball clay includes;
moisture content between 18% to 22% and are available in various
colors, for instance, white, different shades of gray and brown,
pink, tan, black and the shades in between.
Ball clay has high
plastic nature and has a higher binding power than kaolin.
Furthermore, the tensile strength and shrinkage is better than other
clays used for various pottery and ceramic application. Ball clay is
utilized after mixing with non-plastic clay to impart the desired
plasticity in pottery, porcelain and refractory materials.
Additionally, ball clay helps in the preparation of glaze, enamels
and for imparting a dense vitrified body.
Ball clay is
extracted by using mechanical equipment, hydraulic \"back-hoe\"
excavators. It is one of the popular equipment used for ball clay
extraction. Individual raw clay selections are blended carefully
after its extraction by back-hoe excavators, according to
pre-determined recipes to provide a product with a consistent and
predictable range of characteristics and behavior. The first stage of
ball clay processing is to shred (or ‘kibble’) the blended clay
in smaller, and regular lumps. Much blended clay is sold in the
shredded form; shredded ball clay undergoes the least amount of
processing for further usage. Further processing of ball clay is
through drying and grinding, it yields powdered plastic clays and
ceramics manufacturers (particularly in the sanitaryware sector).
Refined clays are available in ‘noodled’ and slurried form. Ball
clays are sold in a partially dried form, which consist of golf ball
size materials that are not powdered. Some of the key applications of
ball clay include; sanitary-ware, tableware, wall and floor tiles,
glazes and engobes, for refraction purpose, in construction ceramics
and electrical porcelain insulators. Furthermore, it is also used in
construction, agriculture, and amenity industries. In these
industries ball clay is used as fillers and extenders in polymers,
sealants, adhesives, plastics, fertilizers and insecticides. Ball
clays are produced in relatively small quantities compared to other
clays.
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The increasing
industry applications of ball clay, for instance, demand in tile
market is further augmenting the growth of market. The demand of ball
clay in construction industry especially in Asia Pacific and Middle
East, followed by South America has led to increase in production of
ball clay in past few years and the trend is projected to remain the
same in next few years. In Asia Pacific the ball clay deposits are
operated and developed in Thailand, Malaysia, China and Vietnam among
other countries.
Some of the key
manufacturers of ball clay are, G&W Mineral Resources, WBB
Minerals Ltd., Imerys Minerals Ltd, and Ashapura Minichem Ltd among
others.
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