This work presents the results obtained in the study whose objective was to investigate the possibilities and alternatives of using natural gas for the forced drying of clay that is used in the production process of ceramic tiles.
The methodology of the work was a case study using samples of clays and information from the productive process of industries in the ceramic tile sector installed in the Ceramic Pole in the region close to the municipality of Santa Gertrudes, in the interior of the State of São Paulo. From the results obtained in the laboratory with samples of clays collected in the region, the drying temperature limits were established, and a type of dryer more suitable to the nature and characteristics of the clay in the region was proposed.