Kaolin Dry And Wet Processing Technology

The beneficiation processes for kaolin ores with different properties are different. Kaolin ore has complex and changeable properties. How to choose an effective method? Can the mineral processing and purification process be combined with multiple processes?

Application of Kaolin

Kaolin’s special properties such as plasticity, adhesion, certain dry strength, sintering properties, and whiteness after firing make it the main raw material for ceramic production. Kaolin is also widely used in the papermaking industry due to its whiteness, softness, high dispersibility, adsorption, and chemical compatibility. In addition, kaolin is also widely used in rubber, coatings, refractory materials, petroleum refining, paints, wires and cables, industrial plastics, chemical industry fillers, inks, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other industrial and defense cutting-edge technology fields. It can replace expensive materials such as lithopone and part of titanium dioxide in paints and coatings.

Kaolin processing technology

1. Dry process

The dry process of kaolin generally includes several steps: crushing, drying, fine grinding, and air flotation. This process can remove most of the sand and gravel. It is suitable for processing ores with high whiteness, low sand and gravel content, and suitable particle size distribution; dry processing has low production costs and is generally suitable for dry areas; the products are usually used as low-cost fillers in industries such as rubber, plastics, and papermaking.

2. Wet process

Most of the kaolin beneficiation processes at home and abroad choose the wet process, which includes several stages such as slurry dispersion, classification, impurity separation, and product processing. The general process is: raw ore → crushing → slurrying → sand removal → cyclone classification → flaking → centrifuge classification → magnetic separation (or bleaching) → concentration → filter pressing → drying → packaging.

3. Coal-bearing kaolin wet process

Coal-based (hard) kaolin is a unique kaolin resource in my country. Currently, the production basically adopts the processing technology of first ultra-fine and then calcination or first calcination and then ultra-fine processing. The general process flow of superfine grinding followed by calcination is ore → crushing → pulverizing → slurrying → wet superfine grinding or flaking → drying → calcination → deagglomeration → classification → packaging. The general process flow of calcination followed by ultrafine grinding is: ore → crushing → pulverization → calcination → wet ultrafine grinding → drying → packaging.