Study Of Processing And Surface Modification Of Sericite

Sericite is a kind of new natural inorganic material. For a long time it has been used as low-grade pottery clay, and is hardly studied on the processing. At present, the domestic level of sericite processing is lower. Great majority of concentrating mills make sericite powder by dry pulverization but only small number ones by wet preparation and grinding. The quality index is lower, sericite content about 85%, brightness about 80%, grain size larger and ratio to diameter to thickness small. As sericite is developed and used in more wide-ranging field, it does not meet the requirements of user anymore.Using seciritolite in Anhui Lujiang county as test specimen, study was made systematically and process condition and flowsheet were obtained by churning, grinding, and classification, high-gradient magnetic concentration, bleaching and surface modification experiments.Studying showed sericite concentrats in fine grain size. Concentrate grade over 90% is obtained by churning, grinding, and classification. Enriched ore with higher ratio to diameter to thickness is obtained by changing grinder type, medium and speed. Product brightness increases notably by grinding, bleaching, high-gradient magnetic concentration, and brightness over 82% by single bleaching is achieved.By above experiments, process flowsheet was recommended, in which sericite content over 90%, brightness over 82%, recovery rate over 80% were obtained.This paper also made surface pretreatment on sericite by dry surface modification with stearic acid and wet surface modification with silane, and studied action mechanism between sericite and modification agents by tests of agent adsorption strength and infrared absorption spectroscopy.This paper studied systemically sericite processing and surface modification, achieved good concentrate index, recommended reasonable process flowsheet, which will pay part in developing sericite and economic development in Anhui Lujiang county.