China Clay, scientifically known as kaolin, is a soft, white clay mineral that originates from the decomposition of feldspar.The most abundant deposits are in China (hence the name), the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.
China Clay is one of the most common minerals; it is mined, as kaolin, in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Iran, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.China Clay occurs in abundance in soils that have formed from the chemical weathering of rocks in hot, moist climates; for example in tropical rainforest areas.
China Clay is used as a filler and coating for paper, and in the manufacture of refractories, ceramics, cements, fertilizers, chemicals (especially aluminium sulphate), catalyst carrier, anticaking preparations, cosmetics, insecticides, paint, source of alumina, adsorbent for clarification of liquids, electrical insulators.
Structure and conformation
China clay is described as a 1:1 clay mineral consisting of two layers joined through an apical oxygen. One layer is known as the siloxane layer and consists of silicon tetrahedra joined in an hexagonal array. This layer is coupled to a gibbsite-like layer consisting of octahedral aluminium bonded to four OH units and two oxygen atoms. These layers are joined as sheets to other layers and may form a large set of clay layers known as a kaolinite book.
