What is Kaolinite?
Q: What is Kaolinite?
A: Kaolinite is a clay mineral with the chemical composition Al2Si2O5(OH)4. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina.
Q: Where did the name 'Kaolin' come from?
A: The name 'Kaolin' comes from Kao-Ling, a village near Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China. The name entered English in 1727 from the French kaolin, used in a Jesuit priest's reports from Jingdezhen.
Q: What color is Kaolinite usually?
A: Kaolinite is usually white but can be colored pink-orange-red by iron oxide or lighter concentrations yield white, yellow or light orange colors.
Q: How is Kaolinite supplied and transported?
A: Commercial grades of kaolin are supplied and transported as dry powder, semi-dry noodle or as liquid slurry.
Q: What makes Kaolinite ideal for various industrial applications?
A: Kaolinite has a low shrink-swell capacity and a low cation-exchange capacity which makes it ideal for various industrial applications.
Q: In what other parts of the world is Kaolin known as something else?
A: In Africa, kaolin is sometimes known as kalaba or calaba.
