The effect of liquid grinding aids on the dry fine grinding of muscovite

This paper investigates the production of a micronized muscovite to a target product size of d50~15 µm with a minimum energy consumption to suit the product requirements of the paint industry by a dry grinding process in a laboratory-scale vertical stirred ball mill. A series of batch dry grinding tests were conducted without and with two commonly used industrial liquid grinding aids, ethylene glycol (EG, C2H6O2) and triethanolamine (TEA, C6H15NO3). The results were evaluated based on particle size distribution (PSD), specific energy consumption, span value, and aspect ratio. The results showed that using liquid grinding aids resulted in a finer PSD, lower specific energy consumption, a narrower size distribution, lower span values, and a higher aspect ratio, which meant better delamination and improved grinding efficiency to that of no grinding aid. The interaction between grinding aids and ground muscovite surfaces was investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). FTIR measurements revealed that EG and TEA were physically adsorbed on muscovite surfaces. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was also employed to determine differences between ground muscovite surfaces with and without grinding aids. SEM images indicated that grinding aids could prevent the agglomeration of ground muscovite particles while improving delamination. Adding grinding aids led to a decrease in muscovite agglomeration and an improvement in lamination owing to the adsorption of grinding aids on the particle surfaces.