Investigation of factors affecting the viscosity of Suzhou kaolin suspensions

Factors affecting the viscosity of the concentrated kaolin suspensions of Suzhou kaolins were studied. Experiments were carried out to use different kinds of dispersants to reduce the viscosity of the concentrated kaolin suspensions. The results indicated that good effects on reducing the viscosity of the concentrated kaolin suspensions were achieved by using the dispersants prepared in this laboratory, especially the combination of dispersants D III plus D IV. The viscosity of the concentrated kaolin suspensions was reduced from greater than 10000 MPa times s to less than 500 MPa times s. Analytical tests indicated that in the presence of the dispersants the surface properties were the major factors affecting the viscosity. The action of the dispersants is to change the surface properties rather than the morphology and structure of the minerals in the kaolin ores. The addition of the dispersants increased the hydrophilicity of particle surfaces and the electrostatic repulsion between particles, resulting in improved dispersion and flowability of the concentrated kaolin suspensions.