Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-022-00617-w Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separation (WHIMS) of Algerian Kaolin: a Potential Application Mohammed Laraba 1,2  · Roula Abdelmalek 2  · Juan Maria Menendez‑Aguado 3  · Rodrigo Alvarez Garcia 4 Received: 18 November 2021 / Accepted: 3 May 2022 © Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. 2022 Abstract The aim of this research is the study of the WHIMS parameters on the improving process of a local (DD: Djebel Debbagh, East of Algeria) kaolin. The obtained results of performed XRF, SEM, and XRD characterization showed that this local material is an alumino-silicate containing kaolinite and halloysite with MnO and Fe 2 O 3 impurities (respectively 39.30% and 34.67% alumina and 38.18% and 39.70% silica in both samples (DD2 and DD3). After homogenization, crushing, and milling, a multiparameters factorial experimentation (grain sizes, intensity, and dimension of matrix balls) showed that WHIMS is an efective process to improve the quality of this kaolin, mainly: removing their impurities. Dimensions of matrix balls (D b ) = 2 cm, intensity of the applied magnetic feld (I) = 1.5 T, and grain sizes (D p ) = > 100 < 250 µm) are the optimal values to reach 91.06% for manganese and 93.45% for iron as removing yield. The statistical analysis of these results sorted the investigation parameters and showed that D b has the highest and most signifcant infuence on the recovery of iron and manganese particles. The magnetic feld intensity (I) has a less important infuence while the grain size has an average infuence (positive on the iron recovery but a negative one on the recovery of manganese). Keywords Djebel Debbagh Kaolin · WHIMS · Recovery · DD2 · DD3 · MnO · Fe 2 O 3 1 Introduction Kaolin clay (or kaolin) is a commercial clay composed principally of an aluminum hydrous silicate clay mineral kaolinite. Kaolin is used in many industrial applications due to its unique physical, physicochemical, and chemi- cal properties [1–4]. These include paper, paint, rubber, ceramic, glass, refractory, agriculture, waste treatment, and cosmetic applications. It is also used in nanocompos- ites as coating, pigment, acid/base regulator, fller, and geopolymer material [5–9]. It is one of the mineral phases used widely in the clay industry for making many products [10–13]. Kaolinite has a 1:1 sheet structure with chemical formulae A l2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 (39.8 mass % Al 2 O 3 , 46.38 mass% SiO 2 , and 13.9 mass% H 2 O). It is a layered clay mineral consisting of the pilling up of two sheets—one tetrahedral sheet of silica (SiO 2 ) joined to one octahedral sheet of alu- mina (AlO 6 ), [14, 15]. The choice of kaolin for industrial applications depends on the geological conditions of its deposition, their miner- alogical, chemical, physical (color, fring characteristics, and degree of crystallinity) properties [16–22]. The kao- lin originally exhibits white color with high clay bright- ness, but it mainly contains various amount of discolor- ing elements (Anatase, mica, and iron oxides) that give low brightness and are detrimental in fnal use [23]. Their removal is essential if high-brightness saleable grades are to be produced. High-intensity magnetic separators are standard pro- cessing technique in the kaolin industry used to remove magnetic components (paramagnetics) from minerals (diamagnetics) [ 24]. Paramagnetics are attracted along the lines of magnetic forces to points of higher field * Mohammed Laraba larabamd@univ-tebessa.dz 1 Mining & Geothechnolgy Dept, Mining Processing Lab, Univ. of Tebessa, Tébessa, Algeria 2 Process Eng. Dept, LIME Lab, Univ. of MS. Benyahia, 18000 Jijel, Algeria 3 Mining Exploitation & Prospecting Dept, Mineral Raw Processing Material RG Laboratory, Polytechnic School of Mieres, Univ.of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain 4 Mining Exploitation & Prospecting Dept., Metallogeny & Deposits Research Laboratory, School of Mining, Energy & Materials Engineering, Univ. of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain / Published online: 19 June 2022 Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (2022) 39:1693–1703