Pałęgi mine
The mine is located on the land of the villages of Grzymałków and Pałęgi, and was launched by Geol-Min in 2001. Already in the second year of operation, the mine produced over 80,000 tonnes, becoming the largest supplier of clay raw material in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The reason for this is the constantly growing demand for “Pałegi” clay, which, thanks to its chemical and mineral composition as well as technological properties, is a raw material of the highest quality for the production of ceramic products with special requirements, such as facade bricks and clinker tiles (floor, wall, windowsill) or roof tiles. .
Recipients of raw material from Pałęgi are major producers of these products from all over Poland – among others from the regions of Toruń, Szczecin, Warsaw, Radom, Starachowice, Przysucha: Klinker Przysucha SA, Ceramika Paradyż Sp. z o. o.
CERRAD sp. z o.o. Starachowice, Creaton Polska Sp. z o. o. and others. The raw material from the Pałęga deposit is also known abroad. The mine has all the required documents and permits for the exploitation of the deposit.
Pałęga deposit
The “Pałęgi” deposit is composed of Lower Triassic (Middle Buntsandstone) claystones and mudstones, cherry red to dark brown in color with aquamarine spots and streaks. As at the end of 2006, the deposit’s resources amounted to approximately 6 million tons, which, with annual extraction of 70-140 thousand. tons will ensure the possibility of its exploitation for over 50 years.
The mineral in the deposit is illite with a minor share of chlorite and kaolinite as well as mixed-package I/S and Ch/S clay minerals. Non-clay minerals are represented by quartz and hematite. It is completely free of marl and soluble sulfates.
The ceramic properties of the mineral determine the values of relative mixing water (mostly 20 – 23%) and drying shrinkage (mostly 6 – 7.5%, average 6.92%).
After mixing with water, the shapes can be easily formed, showing no tendency to change shape and cracking during drying. Fired at temperatures from 900 to 1050°C, the material has a nice brick-brown color and favorable physical parameters – water absorption, frost resistance
and compressive strength (raw material parameters).
In general, the granulometric, chemical and mineral composition of the deposit-building sediments, as well as the physical characteristics of the mineral, allow it to be characterized as:
- raw material bordering on lean and medium-plastic, does not require a significant addition of slimming materials,
- not very sensitive to drying, well moldable by plastic and semi-dry methods,
- slmost completely carbonless, while with a fairly significant content of Fe2O3 – red-burning,
- well sintering, with very favorable properties for the production of clinker products.
