No abstract

Ceramics sugar jars pieces are, from morphological point of view, conical containers of fired clay with a hole in the vertex, which were used to sugar cane pulp maturation into sugar cake. These ceramic materials were produced in Aveiro given the existence of local raw material. Also, this occurrence of geological deposits exploited for red clays allowed the local development of strong pottery production center, transforming the city of Aveiro into one of the major Portuguese cultural heritage sites very rich in traditional ceramic tiles (azulejos) and other ceramic products. After local manufacture, the ceramic sugar jars pieces were exported as sugar production devices for Madeira island, Cape Verde archipelago and later, for Brazil. Also, these materials were found in buildings construction. So, this work focuses on the characterization of ceramic sugar jars produced in Aveiro and its construction use comparing with properties of other ceramics, justifying their preference for export to several countries of the world.

No abstract

Addition of pozzolanic materials increases the mechanical characteristics of construction materials and contributes towards a higher durability. Metakaolin is an artifical pozzolan obtained by calcination of kaolinitic clays at an adequate temperature. Geopolymers are inorganic materials from mineral origin, composed of a precursor, an alkaline activator and a solvent. New geopolymer formulations were designed by sodium silicate/NaOH/KOH activation of metakaolin, zeolites, diatomites and red mud mixtures. The effects of source materials on the microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. Mineralogical and chemical compositions were assessed as well as microstructure, specific surface area, compressive strength and adsorption. In general, incorporation of red mud, zeolite filler and diatomites to metakaolin in medium of alkali activators of low concentration provided formation of more eco-friendly materials with high mechanical resistances and water treatment capabilities.

Nasceu no Ribatejo, foi jornalista no extinto Diário Ilustrado, em Lisboa, e em alguns dos grandes jornais brasileiros. No Brasil fez toda a sua formação académica, sendo hoje, lá e cá, um dos nomes de referência dos estudos jornalísticos...