Characterization of microbial communities associated with ceramic raw materials as potential contributors for the improvement of ceramic rheological properties

This work is focused on the identification of microbial communities dwelling on the different stages of ceramic manufacturing (raw materials, mills, tanks, ceramic slips), to further analyse their potential use as additives for improving the rheological properties of ceramic slips, and consequently, the performance of the spray-dried powders during dry pressing. The main objective was to identify the microbial communities associated with ceramic raw materials and slips used at the technical ceramic producer, Rauschert Portuguesa S.A. (Portugal), in order to search for EPS producers, among the microorganisms found, that may have industrial and/or commercial interest. Both culture and molecular biology techniques were applied for the identification of microorganisms.