How to Grind Calcium Carbonate to 5 Micron

Grinding calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) to a 5-micron (μm) particle size is a fine/ultra-fine grinding process, typically used for precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) or ground calcium carbonate (GCC) in industries like plastics, coatings, papermaking, and inks. The 5μm specification refers to the D97/D50 particle size (97% or 50% of particles pass 5μm, per industrial standards); clear particle size requirements must be confirmed first.

Below is a systematic, industrial-scale process for grinding CaCO₃ to 5μm, including equipment selection, process parameters, key controls, and precautions (lab-scale methods are also briefly included for R&D).

Core Principle

5μm grinding of CaCO₃ relies on wet grinding (dominant for industrial production) rather than dry grinding. Dry grinding struggles to reach 5μm due to:

Severe particleagglomeration (fine CaCO₃ has high surface energy).

Low grinding efficiency and high energy consumption.

Severe dust pollution and equipment wear.

Wet grinding disperses CaCO₃ in an aqueous medium (with dispersants) and uses grinding media to apply shear/impact forces to break particles, achieving precise 5μm sizing with high efficiency and low agglomeration.

I. Industrial-Scale Wet Grinding Process (Mainstream for 5μm CaCO₃)

This process is suitable for mass production (tonnage to ten-thousand tonnage scale) and produces high-quality 5μm CaCO₃ with narrow particle size distribution (PSD).

Pre-Grinding (Coarse Milling)

First, crush raw CaCO₃ (ore/GCC/PCC) to a 200~325 mesh (45~74μm) coarse powder as the feed material for fine grinding:

Equipment: Jaw crusher → Cone crusher → Raymond mill/Roller mill (dry coarse grinding).

Requirement: Uniform feed particle size (no large lumps >100μm) to avoid overloading fine grinding equipment.

Wet Grinding (Core Step for 5μm)

Key Equipment: Horizontal Bead Mill (Sand Mill)

The horizontal bead mill is the most widely used and efficient equipment for 5μm CaCO₃ wet grinding (vertical bead mills are optional for small-scale production). It features high grinding intensity, continuous production, and easy PSD control.

Critical Bead Mill Configuration for 5μm CaCO₃:

Wet Grinding Process Parameters (Optimized for 5μm CaCO₃)

The slurry system is the core of wet grinding—slurry concentration, dispersant dosage, and grinding speed/time directly determine whether 5μm is achieved.

Slurry Preparation

Dispersion medium: Deionized water (tap water is acceptable for general-grade CaCO₃; avoid hard water with high Ca²+/Mg²+ to prevent scaling).

Slurry concentration: 60~70% solid content (wt%). Too low → low production efficiency and high energy consumption; too high → high slurry viscosity, poor fluidity, and insufficient grinding.

Dispersant addition: 0.2~0.8% of CaCO₃ mass (key to preventing agglomeration).Recommended dispersants: Sodium polyacrylate (SPA, most common), sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP), or polycarboxylate dispersants. Add dispersant first to water, stir to dissolve, then add coarse CaCO₃ powder and stir to form a uniform slurry (use a high-shear mixer for 10~20min).

Grinding Operation Parameters

Grinding speed: 15~30m/s (peripheral speed of rotor). Adjust based on bead size (smaller beads = moderate speed to avoid bead breakage).

Grinding time/number of passes: 1~3 passes through the bead mill (continuous production). For batch grinding: 30~60min (determine by on-line particle size testing).

Slurry flow rate: 50~200L/h (per 10L mill chamber). Match flow rate with grinding speed—too fast → insufficient grinding; too slow → over-grinding and high energy consumption.

On-Line Particle Size MonitoringUse a laserparticlesize analyzer (e.g., Malvern Mastersizer) for real-time sampling and testing. Stop grinding when the D97/D50 reaches 5μm to avoid over-grinding.

Post-Processing (After Wet Grinding)

The ground 5μm CaCO₃ slurry needs post-treatment to meet industrial application requirements (slurry or powder form):

Option 1: Direct Slurry Product (for coatings/inks)

Filtration: Use a 100~200 mesh filter screen to remove large impurities/bead fragments.

Homogenization: Stir the slurry again to ensure uniform PSD.

Packaging: Store in sealed tanks (add a small amount of preservative if long-term storage is needed to prevent microbial growth).

Option 2: Dry Powder Product (for plastics/rubber)

Concentration: Use a centrifugal dewaterer or filter press to increase slurry solid content to 80~90%.

Drying: Use a spray dryer (best for 5μm CaCO₃, no agglomeration) or flash dryer (for general-grade). Drying temperature: 100~120℃ (avoid high temperature to prevent dispersant decomposition).

Deagglomeration: Pass the dried powder through a pin mill/airclassifier for mild grinding to break loose agglomerates formed during drying (critical to retain 5μm size).

Packaging: Sealed packaging (use moisture-proof bags to avoid hygroscopic agglomeration).

II. Lab-Scale Grinding Method (for R&D/Small-Scale Testing)

For lab preparation of 5μm CaCO₃ (100g~10kg), use a small vertical bead mill or planetary ball mill (wet grinding mode):

Planetary ball mill (batch wet grinding):

Grinding media: 0.5~1.0mm zirconia beads (ball-to-powder ratio = 5:1~10:1).

Slurry concentration: 50~60%, dispersant dosage: 0.3~0.5%.

Grinding speed: 300~500rpm, grinding time: 60~120min.

Small bead mill (continuous): Same parameters as industrial scale (adjust flow rate/speed for small chamber volume).

Post-treatment: Centrifuge → freeze dry (best for lab, minimal agglomeration) → laser particle size testing.

III. Key Equipment Alternatives (for Special Scenarios)

If the production scale is small (e.g., <1000 tons/year), the following equipment can be used for 5μm CaCO₃ grinding (lower efficiency than horizontal bead mills):

Vertical Stirred Bead Mill: Simple structure, low investment, suitable for small-batch production.

ColloidMill: For low-grade 5μm CaCO₃ (wider PSD, not recommended for high-end applications like coatings).

High-Pressure Homogenizer: Suitable for nano-CaCO₃ grinding, optional for 5μm (high energy consumption).

Note: Dry grinding is not recommended for 5μm CaCO₃. If dry grinding is mandatory (special process), use a jet mill with a classifier + dry dispersant (e.g., stearic acid), but the product will have severe agglomeration, and the actual particle size after dispersion is hard to reach 5μm.

IV. Critical Quality & Process Controls (Avoid Common Failures)

Prevent

The most common failure: Grinding reaches 5μm in slurry, but agglomerates to >10μm after drying.

Solutions: Optimize dispersant dosage, use spray drying (instead of oven drying), and add a post-drying deagglomeration step.

Avoid Equipment Contamination

Use zirconia grinding media/lining (instead of glass/steel beads) to prevent Fe/ Si contamination (critical for high-grade CaCO₃ in electronics/coatings).

Regularly check for bead breakage and filter slurry to remove fragments.

Control

Narrow PSD (required for high-end applications): Use a classifier with the bead mill, or optimize grinding speed/flow rate to avoid over-grinding of fine particles and under-grinding of coarse particles.

Wide PSD (acceptable for general-grade): Single-pass bead mill grinding is sufficient.

Reduce Energy Consumption

Optimize feed particle size (200~325 mesh is the best balance; finer feed = lower grinding energy).

Control slurry concentration and dispersant dosage to ensure optimal fluidity.

Use energy-efficient bead mills (frequency conversion speed regulation).

V. Raw Material Requirements

GCC (ground calcium carbonate): High purity (CaCO₃ ≥95%), low impurity content (Fe₂O₃ <0.1%, SiO₂ <0.5%)—high SiO₂ causes severe equipment wear.

PCC (precipitated calcium carbonate): Already has fine primary particles (1~3μm); wet grinding is mainly for deagglomeration to achieve 5μm secondary particle size (lower grinding energy than GCC).

Raw material moisture: <0.5% (for coarse grinding) to avoid agglomeration during pre-processing.

VI. Typical Technical Indexes of 5μm CaCO₃ (Industrial Grade)

VII. Industrial Application Notes

The 5μm CaCO₃ produced by wet grinding has good dispersibility (key advantage over dry grinding), making it suitable for high-end applications (e.g., water-based coatings, plastic masterbatches, paper coating).

For ultra-highwhitenessrequirements (e.g., papermaking), use high-whiteness calcite ore (whiteness ≥95%) and avoid iron-contaminated equipment/grinding media.

For oil-based systems (e.g., solvent-based inks), replace water with organic solvents (e.g., ethanol, mineral oil) and use oil-based dispersants (e.g., fatty acid esters) for wet grinding.

RawCaCO₃ → Coarse crushing → Raymond mill (200~325 mesh) → Slurry preparation (60~70% concentration + 0.2~0.8% dispersant) → Horizontalbeadmill (0.8~1.2mm zirconia beads, 15~30m/s speed) → Laserparticlesize testing (5μm) → Filtration → Spray drying/dewatering + flash drying → Deagglomeration → 5μm CaCO₃ powder/slurry.

This process ensures stable 5μmparticlesize, narrowPSD, high production efficiency, and lowagglomeration—the mainstream solution for industrial 5μm CaCO₃ grinding worldwide.