Research, Society and Development, 8(11), p. e22911830790, 2022
The drying process of ceramic bricks plays a key role in the amount of water available both inside the material and on its surface. This work aimed to analyze drying kinetics on ceramic tiles with different percentages of diatomite tailings, which was experimentally carried out in an oven with forced air circulation. To this end, laboratory tests were performed using different samples in which the drying kinetics was evaluated considering different environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity), based on a 2k factorial experimental design with three factors: the drying temperatures (333 and 383 K), the homogeneity of the mixture (30 and 60 min) and the percentage of the tailings (10 and 30%). From the results matrix, some models of drying kinetics were adjusted to the experimental data, having the Page model presented the best result. Still in possession of the results matrix, a regression model was applied to obtain equations that describe Page's fit parameters. The drying curves developed from the estimated parameters, presented a significant agreement with the experimental data, being validated within a 99% confidence interval.