1. Raw Materials and Ceramic Bodies
Seminar “Geological Resources for Society”
Shanghai, 20 September 2010
Carlos Lagoa

2. What is Grupo Lagoa?
Grupo Lagoa
Pombal
Grupo Lagoa is a group of companies based in Portugal.
Its core business is the mining, production and marketing of raw materials and pastes to supply the ceramic industry.

3. What is Grupo Lagoa?
The Grupo Lagoa grew out of a family company called José Aldeia Lagoa & Filhos which was incorporated in 1984.
The original business consisted of the manufacturing and marketing of raw materials for the glass and ceramic industries and it is now being carried on by the fourth-generation members.

4. What is Grupo Lagoa? Presently Grupo Lagoa employs 180 people.
It grew in average 18% per year over the last 10 years.
Expanded to some international markets with major investments in Angola, Mozambique and Brazil, always aiming to gain other foreign targets.

5. The Grupo Lagoa

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Company presentation
It runs two industrial plants located in central Portugal. In both sites it acquires, treats, and upgrades raw materials.
With certification in:
Quality (NP EN ISO 9001);
Environment (NP EN ISO 14001);
Occupational Health and Safety (NP 4397/OHSAS 18001).

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All materials are carefully extracted, selected, and sorted into homogenous batches according to their characteristics and type of application as an end product.
These raw materials are used to manufacture spray-drying ceramic powders for:
- coating, paving applications and porcelain ware;
- utilitarian, decorative, sanitary ware and ceramic glazes.

10. Raw Materials:
Ball clays;
Kaolins;
Silica sands;
Feldspar;
Lithium.

11. Ball clays

12. Kaolin

13. Feldspar

14. Silica sands

16. Company presentation
Incorporated in 2001, UNIPASTA S.A. is the company of Grupo Lagoa which manufactures and develops spray-drying ceramic powders for paving and coating applications and for making porcelain ware.
It produces a wide range of products that meet the specific requirements of its customers – namely white and coloured porcelain powder, coating, and newly developed ceramic powders such as fine porcelanic and eco-ceramic bodies.

18. Production Processes
In essence, paste manufacturing consists of three separate production processes:
Dosing;
Milling;
Spray drying.

19. Dosing
Raw materials are stored in warehouses. Dosing is accomplished with an automated loading and continuous weighing process to determine the desired quantities of each of the required raw materials.

20. Milling
Wet milling is processed in a continuous ball mill which blends the raw materials with water plus a deflocculating agent to make what we call slurry.

21. Spray Drying
Spray drying consists of pumping the slurry through injectors which sprays it into a drying chamber where it is transformed into a powder through water evaporation by rapidly drying it with a counter-flow of hot air. This process produces the end product, i.e., ceramic powder.

23. Company presentation
Having been incorporated in 2002, Pastceram, S.A. is the company of Grupo Lagoa which manufactures ceramic bodies to produce utilitarian and decorative ceramic ware, namely ceramic bodies of calcite to earthenware, feldspathic to stoneware and porcelain and ceramic sanitary ware.

24. In 2005 the portfolio was enlarged by the production and selling of glazes, colouring agents, high temperature tools and refractory, ceramic plaster, and third firing materials, among other products.
In 2007 a milling unit for glazes was built.
At present is under development a spray-drying project in order to supply powder glazes and powders.

26. The ability to foresee the future, the search for new products and developments, together with the knowledge on the market expectations are fundamental to achieve success in any company.
The Lagoa Group aims to meet all market demands and whims applying all the available know-how and the experience of almost 100 years work.

27. Contacts: Parque Industrial Manuel Da Mota Lote E 3100-354 Pombal
Portugal T F
39º 56' 40''N
08º 39'10'' W
Roussa Apartado Pombal Portugal T F ° 54' 39'' N 08° 40' 50'' W
Zona Industrial Casal da Areia
Lote 38/39
 Cós – Alcobaça  
Portugal     T F
39° 36' 60'' N
08° 57' 21'' W