2.

3 MANUFACTURING PROCESS
The general method of manufacturing refractory brick comprises of six steps as shown below:
1. Grinding
• In this step, the raw materials required for the bricks are grinded in powdered form.
• Advatech Refractories concerns itself with production of acidic refractories. To produce these bricks, they
used various raw materials like, Alumina (Al 2O3), Ferric Oxide (Fe2O3), Silica (SiO2), Magnesium Oxide
(MgO) and others.
• The three key ingredients in production of acidic refractories include Bauxite, Ball Clay and Calcine Clay.
• Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminum content. It is the chief source of aluminum and
gallium. But there is a special form of bauxite used in refractories, this is known as Refractory Grade Bauxite
(RGB). RGB is bauxite calcined at 1600°C – 1650°C, producing a dense, high purity and stable aggregate.
They have a high alumina content and a very low alkali content with low impurities ensuring stable temperature
strength. [6]
• Ball Clay is kaolinic sedimentary clay that consist of 20-80% kaolinite. Apart from Kaolinite, Ball Clay also
has other dominant minerals like Mica and Quartz. It is widely used in ceramics industry as produces a distinct
white shade when it is fired. Due to its ability to resist the effects of extremely high temperatures, it is used in
refractories.
• Calcined Clay, also known as Metakaolin is produced by heating a source of kaolinite (Ball Clay) to between
650°C to 750°C. It increases the long-term strength of bricks and its durability, reducing the effects of alkali
reactions and increasing refractory’s resistance to chemical attack.
• Advatech Refractories outsource these three basic components. They have suppliers across the state of Gujarat
and Rajasthan. Bauxite is supplied in graded form from Porbandar in Gujarat. Also, they buy grinded Ball Clay
from Bikaner in Rajasthan. Calcined clay is provided from Kutch in Gujarat.
• The Calcined Clay is grinded in the facility using an impact mill with the capacity to grind a 3-ton batch in an
hour