Vermiculite: What Is It and How to Process It?

The potential of expanded vermiculite is constantly being unlocked through its wide application in horticulture, construction, and other industries. It is expected that the price of vermiculite will rise, indicating a huge market space.

Its name is from the Latin vermiculare, "to breed worms", for the manner in which it exfoliates when heated.

Vermiculite is a natural, non-toxic silicate mineral with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe2+,Fe3+)3[(Al,Si)4O10](OH)2·4H2O. It is generally brown, yellow or dark green, with an oil-like luster, but turns gray when heated.

After heating, the volume of raw vermiculite rapidly expands several to dozens of times, turning into expanded vermiculite.

Expanded vermiculite has unique structural and surface properties, as well as non-toxic, sterile, and chemically inert. It has a bulk density of 64-160kg/m³, moisture content of 4-10%, low density and low thermal conductivity, and can be used as an adsorbent, fixation agent and feed additive.

Vermiculite has low surface activity, making it difficult to react with flotation agents. Wet beneficiation generates a large amount of polluted wastewater, so dry beneficiation is mostly used.

In order to obtain expanded vermiculite products, the processing procedure of vermiculite involves six main steps: crushing, screening, magnetic separation, preheating, roasting, and cooling. contact with me +8615617816797 for more details.