Kamin LLC

Aubrey Clay Smith

Richard Douglas Carter

Deqiang Ma

John Taylor

Charles Allen Newsome

The present disclosure teaches improved processes to produce high-brightness kaolins at high yields from various natural sources of crude kaolin. In some embodiments, a process for treating mined kaolin comprises: blunging kaolin material with water at high shear to form a slurry; introducing the slurry to one or more beneficiation units for flocculation of titania (e.g., anatase) and titania-associated impurities (e.g., iron); introducing a sodium silicate composition, or precursors thereof, to the beneficiation units, wherein the sodium silicate composition is characterized by a NaO/SiOratio selected from about 0.25 to about 2.5; and recovering a suspension comprising at least 70% of the kaolin clay. The selected sodium silicate composition enhances flocculation of the titania while maintaining dispersion of the kaolin clay in the slurry. One or more chemical leaching reactions generate a treated kaolin that is characterized by a brightness of about 90 or higher.

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Cochran, GA, United States of America

Aubrey Clay Smith