Thiele Kaolin Company

The Florida State University Research Foundation, Inc

Prakash B Malla

Chris B Maxwell

Siva Devisetti

Lee Ann Arrington-Webb

Robert A Lowe

Amy C Semratedu

Cesar I Basilio

W Crawford Elliott

Daniel Joseph Gardner

Ed Riley

William M McClarin Iii

R Andrew Lowe

Don R Black

Described herein are technologies for concentrating rare-earth elements from a heavy fraction of grit in gangue produced in kaolin mining. In some examples, grit is separated as a non-clay fraction of gangue produced in a kaolin mining operation. The grit is separated into a heavy mineral grit sub-fraction and a light mineral grit sub-fraction. Rare-earth elements, particularly heavy rare-earth elements, are thereafter extracted from the heavy mineral grit sub-fraction using various extraction technologies.

Extracting rare-earth elements from a gangue heavy fraction

Mineral pigments (such as kaolin clay) having a high surface area and particle size in the nano scale range are provided which are useful in paper coating and filling, ink jet coating formulations, paint compositions, and as a filler in rubbers, plastics and polymers. These pigments are manufactured by intensive wet milling of a mineral composition which may have undergone prior dry grinding and then optionally subjecting the wet milled mineral composition to an acid treatment.

Nano particle mineral pigment

Aggregated mineral pigments (such as kaolin clay pigments) having a high surface area and useful in coating and filling compositions for ink jet printing media are manufactured by dry grinding an unground mineral composition starting material and then optionally acid treating the ground material.

Pigments for ink jet paper

Aggregated mineral pigments (such as kaolin clay pigments) having a high surface area and useful in coating compositions for ink jet printing media are manufactured by dry grinding an unground mineral composition starting material and then optionally acid treating the ground material.

High surface area aggregated pigments

Fine-grained Tertiary kaolin clay pigments providing improved opacity, sheet gloss and print gloss to paper coated with these pigments are produced by removing fine and coarse particles to produce pigments having a narrow particle size distribution.

Process for modifying particle size distribution

Kaolin clay agglomerates having improved bulk density, improved rheological properties and good optical properties are provided by mixing calcined kaolin clay, hydrous kaolin clay and water and then subjecting the mixture to high pressure in a compaction system.

Kaolin clay agglomerates and process for the manufacture thereof

A improved process for beneficiating kaolin clays to remove discoloring impurities is disclosed. The beneficiation of kaolin clay is improved by fractionating a kaolin clay starting material into a lower brightness first fraction having a majority of the discoloring impurities and a higher brightness second fraction with less impurities. The first fraction is then beneficiated (such as by flotation, selection flocculation, high intensity magnetic separation and/or leaching) to produce a kaolin clay product with improved optical properties. The first and second fractions may be combined to produce a product with improved optical properties.

Process for beneficiating kaolin clays

Substantially crystalline kaolin clays having varying morphological properties are produced by the hydrothermal treatment, in an acidic environment, of substantially amorphous calcined kaolin clay.

Process for the synthesis of kaolin clays having varying morphological

Fine-grained kaolin clays having improved brightness can be produced by (a) using centrifugation to fractionate the clay starting material into finer and coarser fractions, (b) subjecting the coarser fraction to flotation to remove discoloring impurities and (c) combining the finer and floated coarser fractions to produce fine-grained kaolin clays having improved brightness.

Process for improving the brightness of fine-grained kaolin clays

Clay materials, such as kaolin, containing expandable layer-silicates are chemically treated with a source of magnesium cations, followed by a pH adjustment, to provide a slurry product having improved rheological properties.

Process for the treatment of clay materials to provide slurries having

A process for intercalating potassium acetate molecules in kaolin clay particles to achieve delamination has been developed by mixing kaolin clay particles, potassium acetate and water. A maximum intercalation, and hence a maximum degree of delamination, can be achieved with potassium acetate levels between 10% and 75% by weight, based on the weight of kaolin clay particles, and 5% and 50% water by weight, based on the weight of potassium acetate.

Kaolin-potassium acetate intercalation complex and process of forming

An opacifying kaolin pigment with improved porosity, light scattering ability (opacity), gloss, and ink receptivity over that of the starting pigment is manufactured by a process which comprises the steps of treating an aqueous solution of kaolin with a phosphate compound, using the endogenous aluminum leached from kaolin and/or adding a soluble aluminum compound and increasing the pH of the mixture.

Chemically aggregated kaolin clay pigment and process for making the

An opacifying kaolin clay pigment with improved rheological properties and good opacifying characteristics is manufactured by a process which comprises reacting a mixture of water, kaolin clay and calcium carbonate with a hydroxide component at a temperature of at least 60.degree. C.

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Dublin, GA, United States of America

Prakash B Malla