Iron removal from kaolin by oxalic acid using a novel pre-agitating and high-pressure washing technique

Abstract

This study reports a leaching process along with a novel physical pretreatment technique to remove iron impurities from kaolin using oxalic acid. A detailed examination of the physical properties of the minerals confirmed that almost none of the leaching-resistant iron oxides, specifically hematite, was completely interlocked with the clay minerals. Accordingly, a pre-agitating technique followed by high-pressure washing of the sample on a 600 μm sieve were applied. In this method, by discarding up to 20% of the raw material, >54% of the total iron content of the raw kaolin was removed, and the iron content was reduced from 9.75% in the initial sample to <6.00% in the passing fraction. Application of this pretreatment method rendered the leaching process successful at 97°C using 0.3 M oxalic acid solutions for 1 h under atmospheric pressure. Compared to the leaching of the raw material without pretreatment, which consumed at least 0.5 M oxalic acid over a minimum period of 2 h, the method used was very cost-effective and favourable, reducing the iron content of the product to <1% and producing high-quality kaolin.