Journal of the Australian Ceramic Society Volume 46[1], 2010, 53-62 53 Properties of Low-Temperature Porous Ceramics on the Base of Clay-Fusible Glass Mixtures Y. M. Enríquez Méndez a , M. Vlasova a , I. Leon b , Ma. Trejo c and M. Kakazey a a Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas – UAEM, México b Centro de Investigación en Química – UAEM, México c Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología – UAEM, México E-mail: yenriquez@uaem.mx Available Online at: www.austceram.com/ACS-Journal-2010vol1.asp ABSTRACT On the base of mixtures kaolin (or bentonite) - ground fusible glass - polyurethane sponges in the temperature range 800 – 900 0 C porous ceramics were obtained. The low-temperature synthesis of ceramics is based on the stage-by-stage formation of low-temperature eutectics between feldspar, silica, and newly formed products of interaction between glass melt and aluminum silicates. The investigation of absorptive, adsorptive and filtration properties of such ceramic materials gives possibility to recommend theirs for filtration (separation) of crude oil and toxins from water mixtures and emulsions, absorption of toxins and dyes from water solutions. Keywords: kaolin, bentonite, polyurethane sponges, properties. 1. INTRODUCTION Synthesis of porous silicate ceramics causes significant interest in view of a wide spectrum of its use in various areas of techniques, pharmaceutics, chemistry, ecology [1-3]. Depending on area of application of porous ceramics requirements to a porous material, namely, to the size of pores, penetrability, a specific surface area, durability and its. are defined concretely. It is necessary to remind that within the limits of standard technological processes a durable silica- alumina ceramics receives in a range 1250 - 1500 0 C [4, 5]. For an obtaining of porous silicate ceramics different types of sintering are used, including the foaming method, the burning out of additives, and the chemical treatment [6-8]. The aim of this work is the realization of low - temperature synthesis of porous ceramics on the base of kaolin or bentonite. For the decrease in temperature of sintering of ceramics in a working mixture feldspar and grinded low-melting glass were entered. As the burning out matrix, forming a basis of formation of a porous body, the polyurethane sponge has been chosen. 2. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Preparation of samples and experimental procedure Two types of porous ceramics were prepared. The first type was obtained from mixture kaolin - feldspar – grinded fusible glass (mixture I). The second type was the mixture on base of bentonite – grinded fusible glass (mixture II). In mixture I the composition kaolin-feldspar has commercial name “Pasta KTD-7” (the distributorship “KT clay de Mexico S. A. de C. V.”). In mixture II the sodium-calcium bentonite with commercial name “Bentonita perforbent” (the distributorship “Arcillas de Durango S. A. de C. V.”) was used. The temperature of the fusion and the melting of glass lays in region 750-900 0 C. In Table 1 the composition of clay, “pasta” and glass is presented. The dispersed composition of used materials on Fig.1 is shown. Fig. 1: Particle size distribution in bentonite (a), Pasta KTD-7, (b), grinded glass (c).