HIGH-QUALITY FOUNDRY BENTONITE MADE FROM THE RAW DRIED MATERIAL AND SELECTED FRACTIONS FORMED IN THE PRODUCTION OF HYGIENE SORBENTS

The paper presents the results of laboratory and industrial tests undertaken in order to develop and implement in foundry production the high-quality bentonite made from the raw dried material and selected fractions formed in the production of hygiene sorbents. Hygiene sorbents are solid materials with high-developed surface area and increased absorption rate of undesirable substances, intended for animals (so-called hygiene bentonite litter). Formed as a by-product in the manufacture of sorbents, the selected fine fractions of less than 1 mm were initially returned to the sorbent production cycle, but it soon became apparent that the small particles adversely affect the quality of produced sorbents. The conducted preliminary studies have shown that, due to a large content of montmorillonite and high degree of refinement, the selected dust fractions and the raw dried bentonite, both being by-products from the production line of sorbents, can be used as valuable components in the production of foundry bentonite. The article presents the results of tests and studies on the processing and refining of the starting materials under laboratory conditions and the newly developed, experimental production technology to obtain bentonite from raw dried material and selected fine fractions generated in the production of hygiene sorbents. The results of trials on the application of newly developed high-quality bentonite in the manufacture of moulding sands, moulds and pilot castings were also presented.

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