Resumen de Logistics and processing trends in kaolin markets
Kaolin imports to the UK peaked in 2004 and again in 2011. Since 2011, imports, exports and domestic production of kaolin have all been decreasing. According to a 2017 paper by Starý et al, titled ‘Development of kaolin production, reserves and processing in the Czech Republic in 1999–2015’: “The modern trend in kaolin processing technology is dry processing of crude kaolin.” Besides cost, Starý et al add that dry processing can be applied “advantageously at localities far away from water sources or processing plants,” adding that “the general trend in producing beneficiated as well as air classified (floated) kaolin involves waste-free production technologies, including water recycling and saving energy.” According to Imerys Minerals’ Helen Dollani, today’s coatings “typically contain 3-30% TiO2 depending on the pigment volume concentration (PVC) of the coating and end-performance requirements.
