Abstract: A ball clay/water slurry which may be used to prepare ceramic sanitaryware articles is disclosed. This slurry contains from 58 to 68 percent of ball clay with a specificed particle size distribution, 42 to 32 percent of water, 0.001 to 1.0 of organic polyelectrolyte, and from 50 to 650 parts per million of soluble sulfate ion.The slurry possesses rheological and casting rate properties which make it especially suitable for use in casting slips. It has a settling index of at least 0.9, a flow index of from 20 to 30 seconds, a casting rate of from 30 to 60 grams after 1 hour, and a transmission of at least 60 percent.

Abstract: Organophilic clays useful for modifying the rheological properties of organic fluids are made from a smectite type clay, a quaternary ammonium compound and an organosilane.

Abstract: Organophilic clays useful for modifying the rheological properties of organic fluids are made from a smectite type clay, a quaternary ammonium compound and a zirconium-aluminum organic complex.

Abstract: A bulked kaolin pigment is prepared by mixing a small but effective amount of a water-soluble cationic material such as a cationic polyelectrolyte flocculant with a kaolin clay pigment in the presence of water. The resultant bulked clay product can be dispersed to form high solids clay-water slurries useful in making aqueous coating colors suitable for manufacturing lightweight coated publication papers or the pigment can be used as a filler for paper webs. Slurries having stable viscosity during storage and at elevated temperature are prepared by using as the dispersant an anionic sulfonated disperant such as a lignosulfonate or a naphthalene formaldehyde sulfonate complex.

Abstract: An organo-clay is prepared by treating a clay mineral of the smectite type with a mixture of di(lower alkyl) arylkyl (higher alkyl) ammonium compound and a di(lower alkyl) di(higher alkyl) ammonium compound and thereafter subjecting the treated clay mineral to high shear mixing for a time sufficient to dissipate in the mixture at least 100 KJ of energy per Kg of dry solids in the mixture. The organo-clay is useful in gelling compositions containing one or more liquid aliphatic alcohols.

Abstract: A structured kaolinitic pigment having improved physical and optical characteristics when incorporated as a filler in paper. The pigment is also useful in paper coating applications. The pigment consists of porous aggregates of kaolin particles which are chemically bonded together. The pigment may be produced by chemically reacting a particulate kaolin with a metal chloride, such as silicon tetrachloride. The process is conducted under conditions such that the kaolinite structure is not impaired.

Abstract: A method is provided for reducing the abrasiveness of calcined clay, e.g. kaolin clay. The method comprises contacting the clay prior to calcination with an aliphatic diol, preferably ethylene glycol, in an amount sufficient to reduce the abrasiveness of the calcined product.

Abstract: A coated paper of improved optical and printing qualities, coated with a structured kaolinitic pigment. The pigment consists of porous aggregates of kaolin particles which are chemically bonded together. The pigment may be produced by chemically reacting a particulate kaolin with a metal chloride, such as silicon tetrachloride. The process for preparing the structured pigment is conducted under conditions such that the kaolinite structure is not impaired.

Abstract: A process is described in which a structured aggregated kaolin pigment is prepared by mixing substantially dry kaolin in particulate form with an aqueous alkali metal silicate to deposit on the surface of the kaolin particles a substantially molecular level of said silicate without formation of silica gel, drying the treated kaolin without calcination and exposing it to an acidic gas. The product is useful as a pigment in the coating or filling of paper.

Abstract: At least two different ball clay/water mixtures are blended together to produce a ball clay/water slurry, wherein:1. the slurry comprises from about 58 to about 68 weight percent of ball clay, from about 42 to about 32 weight percent of water, from about 50 to about 650 parts per million (by dry weight of ball clay) of soluble sulfate ion, and from about 0.01 to about 1.0 percent of organic polyelectrolyte (weight of active ingredient by weight of dry ball clay) with a molecular weight of from about 1400 to about 6000;2. the slurry, when freshly made has a five-minute gel viscosity of from about 1,000 to about 10,000 centipose, a ten-minute gel viscosity of from about 2,200 to about 12,000 centipoise, and a twenty-minute gel viscosity of from about 3,500 to about 14,000 centipoise.

Abstract: A blended, stable ball clay/water slurry, wherein:1. the slurry comprises from about 58 to about 68 weight percent of ball clay, from about 42 to about 32 weight percent of water, from about 50 to about 650 parts per million (by dry weight of ball clay) of soluble sulfate ion, and from about 0.01 to about 1.0 percent of organic polyelectrolyte (weight of active ingredient by weight of dry ball clay) with a molecular weight of from about 1400 to about 6000;2. the slurry, when freshly made has a five-minute gel viscosity of from about 1,000 to about 10,000 centipoise, a ten-minute gel viscosity of from about 2,200 to about 12,000 centipoise, and a twenty-minute gel viscosity of from about 3,500 to about 14,000 centipoise.

Abstract: A process for production of useful materials including a product of similar composition to nepheline involves contacting a slurry of red mud with sulphur dioxide to dissolve components of the red mud that are soluble in sulphurous acid, removing residual undissolved solids by filtration, and recovering a filtrate containing soda, alumina and silica values, removing free water from the filtrate to produce a crystallized residue, and calcining the crystallized residue.

Abstract: The invention relates to an aggregated kaolinitic pigment having improved physical and optical characteristics when incorporated as a filler or coating pigment in paper. The pigment may be produced by treating a particulate kaolin with an alkaline earth metal carbonate or hydroxide or alkali metal carbonate, and urea or an organic amine. The pigment consists of porous aggregates of kaolin particles.

Abstract: A method for chlorinating the surface of a layered lattice silicate to produce a reactive chloride intermediate. The layered lattice silicate is reacted in substantially dry particulate form with a reactant system capable of forming bound chloride moieties at its surface, to form the said chloride thereof, the reaction being conducted at temperatures below that which would otherwise substantially alter the starting composition.

Abstract: The present invention resides in the provision of a basic unburned brick or castable refractory which contains none or an extremely small amount of components which exert a harmful influence on molten steel such as phosphorus, sulfur, and boron and which has a high hot strength.

Abstract: A heat stabilized slurry of bulked kaolin pigment is prepared by mixing a small but effective amount of a water-soluble cationic material such as a cationic polyelectrolyte flocculant with a kaolin clay pigment in the presence of water. The resultant bulked clay product is dispersed to form a high solids clay-water slurry useful in making aqueous coating colors suitable for manufacturing lightweight coated publication papers or the pigment can be used as a filler for paper webs. Slurries having stable viscosity during storage at elevated temperature and improved resistance to the formation of sediment are prepared by using as the dispersant a combination of an anionic lignosulfonate and an anionic naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde complex in combination with a polyacrylate salt.

Abstract: Phosphatic clay dispersions are modified by dispersing the phosphate matrix containing the clay in a dilute solution of selected acids prior to screening, sizing and other beneficiation operations.

Abstract: A method of enhancing the brightness (beneficiating) of kaolin clays by removing titanium impurities is disclosed. The claimed method is a selective flocculation process wherein clay solids are blunged (dispersed) in water together with a dispersing agent and an ammonium salt conditioning agent. When a water-dispersible anionic polymer is added to the dispersed and conditioned clay suspension, titanium flocs are separated from the suspension yielding a whiter kaolin clay product. Unlike prior art selective flocculation processes, the use of highly-dilute dispersions and/or multiple washing steps is not required.

Abstract: A water swellable clay i.e. bentonite, hectorite, saponite or mixtures thereof, is slurried in water and contacted with a hydrogen ion exchange resin to replace a portion of the exchangeable sodium and other exchangeable cations with hydrogen, resulting in a hydrogen enriched, water swellable clay. It has been found that even the very low grade water swellable clays can be treated with the hydrogen ion exchange resin to provide a hydrogen enriched clay having reduced acid demand. The resulting clays have reduced acid demand for mixture in forming Magnesium Aluminum Silicate meeting specifications. Further, the resulting hydrogen enriched clay will not substantially flocculate or settle out of suspension in suspensions having a pH below about 6.0 and generally are useful in a suspension having a pH of about 2.0 to about 5.0 or about 2.0 to about 5.5 so that the modified clay can be used effectively as a suspending agent and as a viscosity modifying agent in water containing suspensions having a low pH.

Abstract: A method of treating zeolites to remove therefrom discoloring impurities and improve the brightness thereof, comprising the steps of mixing a pulverized sedimentary zeolite ore with a dispersant and water to form a dispersed aqueous zeolite slurry, degritting the resulting slurry, removing fines containing discoloring impurities from the degritted slurry, thereafter subjecting the zeolite slurry to a fine media milling, removing fines containing discoloring impurities from the resulting fine milled slurry, subjecting the fine milled slurry to magnetic separation to remove magnetic discoloring impurities, bleaching the resulting zeolite slurry and then recovering the zeolite in dry form from the resulting slurry. The dry finely ground zeolite made by this method has a particle size of at least 85% below 2 .mu.m and a Tappi brightness of at least 90.

Abstract: Raw bentonite is beneficiated by treating a substantially iron oxide-free bentonite, as an aqueous suspension, with an alkali at a temperature of at least 60.degree. C.; washing the alkali treated bentonite at least once with water; and then subjecting a suspension of the alkali-treated and washed bentonite to shearing, attrition and impact forces in a homogenizer of the type wherein the suspension is forced in the form of a film through a thin, hard-surfaced gap under a pressure of at least 1.7 MPa, and at high velocity. The suspension of bentonite thus obtained can then be dried to a product which has a good white color and is more resistent to bacteriological growth.

Abstract: The low shear, slurry viscosity of a kaolinitic clay that is contaminated with one or more forms of expanding clay is reduced by mixing the clay with a source of cationic potassium and then heating the potassium-treated clay to a temperature of at least about 100.degree. C.

Abstract: A method of processing naturally occurring kaolin clay wherein ion exchange resins are utilized to remove charged soluble impurities from the clay thereby eliminating the filtration step required in conventional clay beneficiation process. Further, by saturating the ion exchange resin utilized with a bleaching agent, ferric ions in the clay will be reduced to soluble ferrous ions and removed from the clay without the conventional acid leaching.

Abstract: Backfills for magnesium galvanic anodes are prepared by blending calcium sulfite, B(OH).sub.3, and bentonite, wherein the bentonite contains a substantial amount of alkaline earth metal bentonite, such as calcium-bentonite.

Abstract: A magnesium anode backfill composition is prepared by mixing calcium sulfite, bentonite, and at least one compound selected from the group comprising sodium alkylates and sodium dialkyldithiocarbamates, wherein said bentonite contains a substantial amount of alkaline earth metal bentonite, such as calcium-bentonite.

Abstract: A mixture of CaSO.sub.3 and bentonite, where the bentonite contains a substantial amount of alkaline earth metal bentonite, e.g., Ca-bentonite, is useful as a backfill composition for underground magnesium galvanic anodes. The backfill may optionally, and beneficially, contain sodium sulfite.