Coarse Dispersed Kaolin for Sanitary Ceramics Obtained through Hydrocycloning.

Worldwide, coarse dispersed kaolins are produced as a major proportion of the processing of a primary product. The superfine structure of the Bulgarian kaolins, due to their sediment (secondary) origin, is a problem. The company Kaolin AD has produced coarse dispersed kaolin using high energy-intensive separating centrifuges. The aim of this investigation is to study the possibility of obtaining coarse dispersed kaolin through a lower-energy method -- hydrocycloning. This investigation shows that the lower hydrocycloned products, with regard to particle size and chemical composition, are analogues of the coarse centrifugal separated kaolin. The upper hydrocycloned product/second configuration, in terms of particle size and chemical content, is a complete analogue of the fine centrifugal separated kaolin. The hydrocycloned overflow in the first configuration is a new product, intended for paper coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]