China Clay Powder

What is Kaolin made of?

The main ingredient that is found in kaolin is the mineral Kaolinite. It is also known as hydrous aluminium silicate with its chemical formula Al2Si2O5(OH)4. Kaolin is also popularly known as china clay.

What is the color of Kaolin or China clay?

The color of china clay powder may range from white, dark brown, reddish brown from iron oxide impurities, yellow, beige. It may also be found in gray and orange color.

Where China clay is found?

• India has its reserves of china clay in states like Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka.
• While if we talk about the top Kaolin producers then they are countries like USA, China, Turkey, Brazil, Iran and Germany.

What are the different types of Kaolin or china clay?

• Crude Kaolin: It is the raw form of the kaolin that is found in the reserves of kaolin.
• Hydrous Kaolin: it is formed from the raw kaolin by dispersing it in water and centrifuging it to remove impurities.
• Calcined Kaolin: This is the process that is done for extracting the water out of the hydrous kaolin. It is put in the high temperatures for doing this.

What are the uses of china clay?

• Drug & Pharmacy Industries: Kaolin or china clay powder is famous because of its usage in the manufacturing of cosmetics and pharmaceutical products like face powder, talcum powder, toothpaste, tooth powder, adhesives, surgical plaster, lotion and ointment and more.
• Paint Industries: It is used in the normal paints and also in oil paints. China clay is used as a suspending agent in oil paints and as pigments in water paints or distempers.
• Ceramic industries: The manufacturing of ceramics includes mixing of the china clay, quartz or silica and other types of clay, feldspar and some flux with water.
• Rubber Industries: An approximate amount of quantity is used for filling rubbers so as to improve the strength and resistance to abrasion. For this, china clay is used.
• Plastic Industries: China clay is used as a functional extender for adding strength, electrical resistance and gloss.
• Paper industries: China clay is used in paper industries for enhancing the appearance of paper by adding brightness, smoothness and gloss.
• Other uses: China clay is used with Ochre for deriving a wide variety of color pigments for multiple applications. It is also used for coloring roofing tiles, concrete and slabs, cement flooring tiles, glass and more.