Primary European kaolins for manufacturing high value coated papers

Primary European kaolins are usually associated with terms like "platey" and "high aspect ratio". They tend to have average brightness levels and rather demanding viscous properties and are therefore mainly used for the production of rotogravure papers (coated and uncoated), LLWC offset papers, precoats and specialty papers. But European deposits offer also primary kaolins of completely different morphology: they are both finer and brighter than their common counterparts. Based on laboratory and pilot test results, the paper describes applications of both well known and "new" kaolins (wood-free offset and LWC gravure papers).