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Research on Porcelain Material for Product Design and Manufacturing in Kenya: Assessing SiO₂ Al₂O₃ Content

L. Barongo Ayieng'a, A. Wang, X. Lu, Y. Song, M. Watterson

Journal of Ceramic Science and Technology, Vol. 13, No. 1 (2022), pp. 23-30

DOI: 10.4416/JCST2021-00013

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Abstract

This study describes interdisciplinary research with the objective of identifying local raw material resources that can be used for manufacturing high-quality Kenyan porcelain products. The study details experiments on a kaolin raw material (Kisii soapstone) at Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute. A high-temperature, white stoneware slip-casting slurry is developed. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, shrinkage and product assessment tests are used to gauge the material's excellence. A detailed comparative analysis is provided of the SiO2 Al2O3 chemical properties with those of raw materials used in Chinese porcelain manufacturing during the Yuan dynasty. The comparative analysis indicates SiO2 Al2O3 similarities with those of the Kenyan raw materials and acknowledges the suitability of these Kenyan materials for manufacturing high-quality porcelain equivalent to that made in Jingdezhen. The purpose of the research is to align Kenyan ceramic raw material resources to 21st-century product manufacturing technologies and applications for manufacturing high-quality products.

Keywords

Keywords: Chemical properties, Kisii soapstone, porcelain technology, product design application, SiO2 Al2O3, slip casting

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