China Clay also called as Kaolin is formed by chemical weathering of rocks(Feldspar) which are rich in aluminum silicate. Generally a white mineral, but is often found in Pink-Orange-Red colors due to Iron contamination. Less rust concentrations have a color of white, yellow or light orange. This mineral is highly valued for its whiteness, but exhibit very poor plasticity and hence they are often used along with additives like Ball Clay and Bentonite. Unlike other clays, the kaolin clay has a very wide variety of uses in industries like Ceramic, Medicine, Paper, Rubber, Paint, Cosmetics etc. To be specific on the percentage use, almost 80% of the China Clay is used in Paper industry, 12% in Ceramics and the balance in the other industry segments like Medicine, Rubber, Paint, Cosmetics and Agro products. The purest form of this product is used in Porcelain and Fine Clay Ware manufacturing, while the less pure varieties are used in Paper, as filler for pigments, Refractory Brick, Stoneware and other pottery manufacturing.

Posted by Saseedaran Kumaran on July 29th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
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