Improvement the Quality of Egyptian Kaolin for Industrial Applications

Abstract

The present work aims to study a physical beneficiation of the Egyptian Kaolin from Kalabsha by using a wet high intensity magnetic filter. Since kaolin clay is an important for different industrial applications, but the presence of coloring materials such as iron and titanium, make it unusable for industrial applications as it affects the brightness and whiteness property. Improvement the quality of kaolin was carried out using magnetic separation in a two scale, the first one is a laboratory scale and the second one is a semi pilot scale. Experimental work involved crushing, disintegration, hydrocycloning and magnetic separation. Results showed that the whiteness of kaolin was improved through the application of wet high intensity magnetic separation technique, as in a laboratory scale, about 48% by weight of a non magnetic fraction of kaolin with 0.7% TiO2 and 0.55% Fe2O3 was obtained. The TiO2 % was decreased from 3.56 % to 0.7% with about 87% removal. This leads to increasing the whiteness of kaolin from 86% of the original kaolin to 91% in non-magnetic kaolin. While in a Semi pilot plant two products were obtained. The first is a non magnetic fraction which represents about 74% by weight with 0.56% titanium oxide and 0.49% iron oxide. The second is a middling fraction represents about 10% by weight with 0.76% titanium oxide and 0.49% iron oxide. Finally a material balanced flow sheet is developed for upgrading of Egyptian kaolin to be used for different industrial applications.