Unenriched pimary kaolin is used as a raw material in the production of:
- Acid resistant refractory materials
- Heat resistant bricks
- Fireclay products
- Earthenware products
- Construction ceramics
- Additive for white cement
In appearance, the primary kaolins of the "Alyans" deposit are represented by white clay-like rock. The structure of the rock is breccia and consists of idymorphic sand and fine-grained grains of gray quartz “floating” in basal kaolin cement.
The density of the formation is soft, easily breaks or crumbles in the hands, in the water it soaks and deliquesces. The kaolin content in it ranges from 20 to 50%.
MAIN CHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF THE UNENRICHED PRIMARY KAOLIN ARE:
- Aluminum oxide Al2O3 not less than 18%,
- Silicon oxide SiO2 no more than 72%,
- Iron oxide Fe2O3 no more than 1%,
- Titanium oxide TiO2 no more than 0,6%
А MINERAL COMPOSITION OF PRIMARY KAOLINS ARE DETERMINED BY THE CONTENT OF (IN %):
- Quartz - from 28.6 to 38.0, average 34.0;
- Potassium feldspars - from 13.3 to 51.6, average 31.8;
- Kaolin - from 13.3 to 49.5, average 29.4;
- Hydromica - from 1.6 to 6.0, average 4.0.
In addition, in fractions of a percent the following are found: muscovite, biotite, iron hydroxides (up to 0.5%) and accessory minerals: leukoxen, zircon, pomegranate, and sphene.
The absence of plagioclase in the mineral composition of the formation, and a sharp predominance of potassium over sodium in the chemical composition, indicate that the initial rock undergoing kaolinization were not granodiorites, but granites, and most likely, of leucocratic type. On the whole, the “granite” composition of primary kaolins indicates their origin at the place of occurrence as a result of a long process of weathering of the underlying crystalline substrate. At the same time, a large number of undecomposed feldspars and an admixture of hydromica indicate the incompleteness of the kaolization process and the belonging of primary kaolins to the transition kaolin-hydromica zone of the geochemical profile of the weathering crust. Quality indicators of primary enriched kaolin of grade AKF - 3:
Quality indexes of primary unenriched kaolin: 