Overburden coal output rocks as a raw material for making ceramic building materials

The relevance of this study is conditioned by the need to solve environmental, economic, and engineering problems of disposing of coal mining overburden rocks from the Ekibastuz coal basin. This article analyzes the properties of coal mining overburden rocks and the possibility of producing ceramic building materials on their basis. The features of the stones depending on their lithological type and occurrence horizons are identified during a set of electronic microscopic, X-ray phase, petrographical, and chemical tests conducted by modern test methods. This work studies the physico-mechanical properties and the chemical and mineralogical composition of coal mining overburden rocks. It reveals their similarity to conventional argillous raw materials used for producing ceramic building materials. The content of the article is of practical value for both, coal industry enterprises producing overburden rocks as production wastes and for enterprises producing ceramic building materials. These materials can significantly reduce the prime cost of manufactured products and fill the lack of on-spec argillous raw materials when using coal mining overburden rocks.