Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Indian Minerals
Yearbook 2018
(Part- III : Mineral Reviews)
57th Edition
MINOR MINERALS
30.9 FIRECLAY
(ADVANCE RELEASE)
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF MINES
INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES
February, 2019
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FIRECLAY
30-9 Fireclay
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Table – 1 : Reserves/Resources of Fireclay as on 1.4.2015
(By Grades/States)
(I n '0 0 0 ton ne s)
By States
Andhra Pradesh 12 52 40 64 2 19 34 77 1 14 00 15 74 56 41 7 102 11 13 2 145 62 164 96
Assam - - - - - - - - - 31 61 - 31 61 31 61
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Bihar - - - - - - - - - 44 - 44 44
FIRECLAY
USES AND SPECIFICATIONS & Steel industries and Other industries, such as,
pesticide, alloy steel, graphite products, foundry,
Fireclays are used in the manufacture of cement,
sugar, etc.
br i ck s , bl oc k s , r e t or t s , c r uc i bl e s, m or t a r s ,
masses, pottery, floor tiles, etc. Low-grade material
is used for manufacturing heavy sanitaryware, such FUTURE OUTLOOK
as, pipes and bath tubs. Firebricks manufactured
Fi recl ay i s on e of th e most i mpor ta nt
are used where heat generation is involved, such
minerals used in the Refractory Industry. India
as in furnaces, kilns and ovens. Firebricks are
has huge reserves of fireclay and there does not
extensively used in metallurgical industries.
seem to be any problem in respect of supplies to
Fireclays are usually graded into: i) Low duty th e Refr act ory In dustry in th e n ear futur e.
ii) Intermediate duty iii) High duty and iv) Super
However, a serious dearth is being felt in the
duty, depending upon their capacity to withstand
availability of high-grade fireclay analysing 37%
temperature before melting. The Low duty fireclay
& above Al 2O 3 with Fe 2O 3 and fluxing impurities
can withstand temperatures between 1,515 and 1,615
o
less than 2% for supply to the refractories. To
C (PCE 19-28); Intermediate duty fireclay up to 1,650
o
fulfil the increasing demand of the Refractory
C (PCE 30), High duty fireclay up to 1,700 oC (PCE
Industry, it is imperative that deposits of high-
32); and Super duty beyond 1,775 oC (PCE 35).
grade fireclay be explored and delineated.
Crude fireclay and other clays including kaolin
(c h i n a c l a y) a r e a l so u se d i n a fe w ce m e n t The export prospect of fireclay is relatively
ma nufa ctur ing plan ts t o in crea se t he a lumi na less as it is considered as low-value high bulk
content in the raw meal and its plasticity.Cement mineral. However, fireclay bricks as a commodity
Industry has been the major consumer of crude could have high export potential and therefore
fireclay followed by Refractory, Ceramic and Iron must be encouraged. high
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