A study on the beneficiation of some crude china clays of Gujarat

The impurities like iron and titania present in kaolinite generally give rise to undesirable colour and other defects in the finished ceramic products. The present investigation is an attempt to explore the possibility of using different methods to beneficiate low grade china clays for their industrial utilisation. By washing with water it can be possible to eliminate most of the silica and to some extent iron and titania. But additional treatment with chemicals are required to remove remaining iron and titania. Commercial grade sodium dithionite, ammonium sulphate and acetic acid treatment show remarkable improvement with whiteness and brightness in china clay by elimination of iron and titania