Method and device for treating diatomaceous earth waste and other waste in order to obtain construction materials

A process for producing ceramic materials from granular solid industrial waste from diatomaceous earth, comprising:

• a) thermally treating granular solid industrial waste from diatomaceous earth in a first furnace at a temperature of 850° C. for 60 min, wherein the granular solid industrial waste is agitated every 10 minutes;
• b) extracting the thermally treated granular solid industrial waste from the furnace;
• c) emptying the granular solid industrial waste into a hopper and then leading it to a mill, wherein the mill granulates the granular solid industrial waste forming a granular solid industrial waste having a granular size of 100-200 μm;
• d) leading the granular solid industrial waste to a sieve, wherein it is sieved;
• e) collecting a representative sample of the granular solid industrial waste and carrying out qualitative and quantitative analyses of the granular solid industrial waste by different analytical techniques for detecting the metal contents;
• f) leaching the granular solid industrial waste using one or more of reducing agents, complexing agents and surfactants in a thermostated column until its metal content is within an allowed range;
• g) filtering the granular solid industrial waste and drying the granular solid industrial waste in a second furnace at 80° C. for 60 minutes;
• h) depositing the granular solid industrial waste on a conveyor belt for transfer to a mixer;
• i) combining in the mixer between 23-33% by volume of the leached granular solid industrial waste from diatomaceous earth, 10-13% by volume of tailings, 10-13% by volume of foundry sands, 10-13% by volume of volcanic ash, between 10-20% by volume of binding agents, and between 5-14% of feldspar;
• j) adding water to the mixer and mixing with the components to form a paste;
• k) pouring the paste into molds and preheating in a furnace at 80° C. in order to evaporate the excess water contained in the paste;
• and
• l) transferring the materials to a third furnace operating at a temperature of 1000° C.-1200° C. for 120 minutes thereby producing ceramic materials;
• wherein the binding agent is clay or kaolin.