China clays for the sanitaryware production from Portugal

The development and contribution of the Portugese sanitaryware industry in the European market are discussed. It has been found that Portugal produced more than 7 million large pieces in 2004 or about 15 % of the total European production. The leading Portuguese raw material producer Mota ™ Ceramic Solutions managed to introduce quality raw materials for the sanitaryware industry. The total Portuguese production of refined kaolin is estimated at 200 000 tons per year including offwhite and yellow kaolin deriving as sub-products from sand washing operations. Portuguese kaolins have been used in the ceramic production of porcelain, white eastern and stoneware, wall and floor tiles and refractory products. Sanitaryware kaolin SAS 50 was developed to improve the characteristics of casting slips without obliging sanitayware producers to reformulate their body compositions.