TURKISH SODIUM FELDSPAR PROPERTIES AND ADVANTAGES
Abstract
The albite deposits of Turkey are located in the southwestern part of the country called
“Menderes Massive” which covers an area of 200 x 300 km.
Esan has 17concession covering 35.000 hectares area. Esan produces about 500,000 MT
albite per year and this production figure is equal to 1/3 of total Turkish albite
production.
Esan sells the albite in crushed, dry ground and floated forms. Different grades of
albites which have alkali content between 8-11% are classified according to Fe2O3 and
TiO2 contents.
Increasing tendency towards white floor tile body and granito tiles increased the
demand for white firing feldspar particularly floated feldspar.
With granito tiles not being glazed the colour of the body has utmost importance. In
those situations zircon is added to the body composition in order to attain the required
whiteness. However utilising floated feldspar can reduce the amount of zircon.
Another advantage of using floated feldspar is that it increases the fired strength of the
product and enables a better surface to be obtained after polishing.
The overall consistency is another key advantage as a floated product virtually
eliminates Fe2O3 and TiO2 contaminants meaning that there is no shading problem
after firing.