PROCESS MODIFICATION TO MINIMIZE TOXIC CHEMICAL GENERATION IN VERMICULITE PROCESSING

IN 1985, 947 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER WERE CONTAMINATED WITH1.4 BILLION POUNDS OF CHMICAL REAGENTS IN FROTH FLOTATION SEPARATION OF INDUSTRIAL MINERALS IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THESE APPROXIMATE QUANTITIES WERE ALSO USED IN 1986 AND 1987. OF THIS TOTAL, APPROXIMATELY 42.2 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER WERE CONTAMINATED WITH 8.6 MILLION POUNDS OF CHEMICAL REAGENTS IN VERMICULITE FROTH FOLTATION SEPARATION. THIS WORK WILL INVESTIGATE MAGNETIC SEPARASTION TECHNIQUES FOR PROCESSING VERMICULITE IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE AND/OR ELIMINATE TECHNICAL REAGENTS THAT ARE NOW REQUIRED FOR FROTHFLOTATION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO MAKE A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART MAGNETIC SEPARATIONTECHNIQUES IN COMBINATION WITH INNOVATIVE PROCESSSING TECH- NIQUES, AND DEVELOP A NEW CONCEPT FOR PROCESSING VERMICULITETHAT MINIMIZES THE GENERATION OF TOXIC WASTES. THIS WORK COULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON REDUCING ENVIR-ONMENTAL PROBLEMS. IT COULD ALSO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF VERMICULITE PROCESSING BY A MORE COST EFFECTIVE POSITION FOR THE UNITED STATES IN THE WORLD VERMICULITEMARKET. THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED IN THIS WORK CAN SERVE AS A NEW TECHNOLOGY IN OTHER MINERAL INDUSTRIES. COMMERCIALIZATION IS PROJECTED IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COST EFFECTIVE SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY FOR VERMICULITE AND THE REDUCTION OF TOXIC WASTES. SUCCESS WOULD MEAN MAJORADVANCES IN REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, AND THE DEVLOP-MENT OF A NEW SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD HAVE APPLIC- TION IN OTHER MINERAL INDUSTRIES.