KAOLIN |
The washed and separated kaolin is then
conveyed to another screening area, where a
series of hydrocyclone separators and screens
grade it.
The kaolin is then concentrated and,
using flexible-membrane polyurethane plates, pressed into 34-mm-thick cakes with a 20%
moisture content.
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The kaolin cakes are then cut into pieces and
rapidly dried in natural-gas-powered dryers. This
produces kaolin powder or particles, which are
then stored ready to be loaded into tankers or
trucks.
Caobar also produces special micronized
kaolin, a variant obtained by meticulous crushing
and screening. This mineral, which is used in
fibre-glass manufacture, is world-renowned for its
consistently high quality. |
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SILICA |
The silica separated from the kaolin during the
washing process is screened while wet to obtain
a range of particle sizes suited to a variety of
applications.
Caobar's silica is sold in three
formats — dry, dry and screened, and
micronized. |
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The moisture is removed in a gasfired
rotary dryer with a 75-tonne-per-hour
capacity.
The silica is screened to separate the
products by particle size (from 0 to 4 mm). It may
also be micronized, which involves dry grinding it
in a plant with a 24-tonne-per-hour capacity to
produce quartz with a particle size of between 10
and 125 microns.
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