534 



UNITED STATES MINERAL RESOURCES 



Table 109. — Properties, value, and industrial utilization of the principal mineral fillers used in the United States in 1969 



[X, percentage unknown] 



Distribution by end use 

 (in percent, if known) 



I ■§ § I 1 s g 



P4 Pi (^ ^ 0-* C^ ^ 



Asbestos — — — — — >75 X 



Barite 75 20 _____ 



Bentonite and — — — — 7 — — 

 other clays, ex- 

 cluding fuller's 

 earth and kaolin. 



Carbon black X^ 90:t — — — 5 — 



Diatomite X — X X X X — 



Fuller's earth 



X — X 



4 12 75 3 <1 2 



XXX 



- X 5 



Perlite X 



— <1 52 



X — X 



SUica, ground XX — — — x — 



Talc 47 7 16 — 16 X 8 



WoUaatonite XX _ _ _ x — 



Total _ _ _____ 



^ Used as a pigment. 

 2 Used in wallpaper. 



Highest density filler; 

 inert, light colored. 



500 Absorbent 



Extremely fine particle 

 size; only black filler. 



Inert or reactive opa- 

 line silica depend- 

 ing upon whether 

 calcined; skeletal 

 silica particles. 



Absorbent: cost low 



3,000± Low cost; soft 



White, low oil absorp- 

 tion; abundant, low 

 cost. 



High brightness; low 

 oil absorption; 

 availability good and 

 cost low. 



Micaceous structure; 

 high dielectric 

 strength, spangled 

 sheen to wallpaper. 



Inert, soft, high 

 brightness; some 

 varieties fibrous or 

 platy. 



White, acicular-fibrous; 

 low oil absorption; 

 alkaline suspension. 



200 Filler uses take mainly 



"fines" and "shorts." 

 (See "Asbestos" chapter.) 



66 About 80 percent of the 



world's annual production 

 is used for heavy drilling 

 mud. (See "Barite" 

 chapter. ) 



28 Not an important filler; 



mainly an insecticide dilu- 

 ent. (See "Clay" chapter.) 



1,480 Excellent rubber reinforcing 



agent. Also a pigment. 

 120 Used in raw state, milled or 



calcined for fillers. Large 

 reserves. (See "Diatomite" 

 chapter. ) 



187 Mainly used for floor sweep- 



ing compound, rotary drill- 

 ing muds, and decolorizing 

 agent. (See "Clay" 

 chapter. ) 

 100± Minor filler mineral; used 

 raw or calcined. (See 

 "Evaporites and brines" 

 chapter. ) 

 i,164 Most important filler mineral, 



principal paper filler, im- 

 portant rubber filler. (See 

 "Clay" chapter.) 



,300 Cheapest filler; has low oil 



absorption and good color. 

 Main filler for putty, caulk- 

 ing, and sealants. (See 

 "Limestone and Dolomite" 

 chapter. ) 

 79 Scrap mica, including some 



phlogopite and biotite. Mica 

 and se'ricite schists are re- 

 sources. {See "Mica" 

 chapter. ) 

 5 Not an important filler. 



Mainly used for plaster and 

 concrete aggregate and 

 filtering aid. (See "Light- 

 weight Aggregate" 

 chapter. ) 



111 Statistics reported with talc 



in U.S. Bur. Mines Year- 

 books; about 27,000 tons 

 used for ceramics. 

 ? For paint extender in deck 



paints, for high abrasive 

 use. 



350 Some grades contain much 



tremolite, anthophyllite, 

 or serpentine. (See "Talc" 

 chapter. ) 

 5 Mainly used in ceramics; 



newest important filler 

 mineral. 



consumption as fillers; consumption of barite as a 

 filler has decreased in the last few years after it 

 showed a spectacular increase starting in about 

 1960. As a filler, diatomite has experienced no in- 

 creased demand, and mica has a very erratic de- 

 mand. Limestone, which along with kaolin is the 

 major filler, has had a strong decrease in demand 

 as a filler, although information is incomplete be- 



cause the U.S. Bureau of Mines since 1967 has 

 reported limestone data differently, and the 1969 

 figure for limestone as a filler (Kollonitsch and 

 others, 1970a) is not explained. 



Although most filler minerals are discussed else- 

 where in this volume, wollastonite, a mineral rela- 

 tively new to the filler industry, is not discussed 

 elsewhere and is reported on here. 



