The effect of liquid additives on dry ultrafine grinding of quartz

Top-Down Preparation of Nanoquartz for Toxicological Investigations

Occupational exposure to quartz dust is associated with fatal diseases. Quartz dusts generated by mechanical fracturing are characterized by a broad range of micrometric to nanometric particles. The contribution of this nanometric fraction to the overall toxicity of quartz is still largely unexplored, primarily because of the strong electrostatic adhesion forces that prevent isolation of the nanofraction. Furthermore, fractured silica dust exhibits special surface features, namely nearly free silanols (NFS), which impart a membranolytic activity to quartz. Nanoquartz can be synthetized via bottom-up methods, but the surface chemistry of such crystals strongly differs from that of nanoparticles resulting from fracturing. Here, we report a top-down milling procedure to obtain a nanometric quartz that shares the key surface properties relevant to toxicity with fractured quartz. The ball milling was optimized by coupling the dry and wet milling steps, using water as a dispersing agent, and varying the milling times and rotational speeds. Nanoquartz with a strong tendency to form submicrometric agglomerates was obtained. The deagglomeration with surfactants or simulated body fluids was negligible. Partial lattice amorphization and a bimodal crystallite domain size were observed. A moderate membranolytic activity, which correlated with the number of NFS, signaled coherence with the previous toxicological data. A membranolytic nanoquartz for toxicological investigations was obtained.

Study on Grinding Additives in Cassiterite–Polymetallic Sulfide Ore Grinding

To attempt a new approach to improve the grinding of cassiterite–polymetallic sulfide ores while simultaneously reducing cassiterite overgrinding and sulfide undergrinding, this article looked into the effects of grinding chemical additives on the distribution of grinding product size. Six chemicals, namely sodium hexametaphosphate, triethanolamine, ferric sulphate, aluminum chloride, polyaluminum chloride and polyacrylamide, were compared in terms of their influence on the grinding product size distribution. The results showed that the six chemicals changed the distribution results with varying orientations and degrees and that the addition of polyacrylamide achieved the most satisfactory effect by decreasing the production of both coarse and fine size fractions and increasing the production of qualified particles. The effect of the molecular weight of polyacrylamide on the grinding was also discussed. The polyacrylamides with molecular weights of about 3 × 106, 5 × 106, 8 × 106 and 12 × 106 could help to produce less of the coarse size fraction and more of the qualified size fraction, but only the polyacrylamides with molecular weights of 3 × 106 and 5 × 106 produced pronounced changes. Moreover, the polyacrylamides could slightly reduce the production of the fine size fraction. Polyacrylamide with a 5 × 106 molecular weight was better than that with a 3 × 106 molecular weight in aiding the grinding of the discussed ore. It was also found that the aid action of the polyacrylamide with a 5 × 106 molecular weight was related to grinding concentration and that a low grinding concentration of less than 70% solid mass was helpful in exerting its aid action. Using polyacrylamide could shorten the grinding time that is needed to achieve the same, or even improved, product size distribution.

Effects of Grinding Aids Used in Grinding Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) Filler on the Properties of Water-Based Interior Paints

Grinding aid chemicals which are used in the grinding of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to prevent agglomeration are chemisorbed on the surfaces of particles, and the compatibility of them with the solvent, water, or organic resin affects the dispersion of the minerals and ultimately down-stream product properties in consumer industries such as paint, papermaking, and plastic. This study tries to explain the effects of triethanolamine (TEA) and monoethylene glycol (MEG), which are most commonly used as grinding aids, on the behavior of CaCO3 in water-based paints and on the properties of the paints. The powder properties of CaCO3 (grain size, color, surface area, oil absorption capacity, zeta potential, etc.) were characterized, and the changes in the can stability, ease of application, and optical properties (gloss, opacity) of the paints were revealed with rheological and optical analysis. It was observed that amine compounds remained in higher amounts on the CaCO3 surface and created negative results in the paint. On the other hand, glycol compound adhered less on the CaCO3 surface and affected the properties of the final product less than the amine compound. Therefore, CaCO3 ground without using any chemicals gives the best results in terms of long-term stability, ease of application, and visuality of the paint.

Activation of a Raw Clay by Mechanochemical Process-Effects of Various Parameters on the Process Efficiency and Cementitious Properties

The efficiency of the mechanochemical activation (MCA) is influenced by various process parameters as well as by the properties of the treated material. The main objective of this research was to optimize the MCA process, gaining enhancement of the chemical reactivity of a Swedish raw clay, which is going to be used as an alkali-activated cementitious binder. The effects of the amount of water, the filling ratio, the rotation speed, and the grinding duration on the amorphization degree were evaluated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Generally, wet and dry processes showed an extensive amorphization of both kaolinite and muscovite minerals present in the studied clay. On the contrary, quartz was amorphized mainly by the wet grinding process. The efficiency of both dry and wet grinding processes was enhanced by the increased number of grinding media versus the amount of the activated material. However, longer processing times caused significant agglomeration while a higher rotational speed enhanced the amorphization. Preliminary tests have shown that alkali activation of the processed clays produced hardened samples. Furthermore, the increased amorphization corresponded to the increased compressive strength values.