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The classification, production, reserves, mining of pyrophyllite in Japan are surveyed with details listed of the Goto, Tsuchihashi and Yano-Shokozan mines and their ores as well as the Nishiyama-Higashi deposit. The chemical composition, mineral components and processing flowsheet at Shokozan are presented and a comparison is made between the different Japanese deposits. It is concluded that the ore, one of Japan's most abundant resources, has potential for further applications based on properties such as its inertness., The classification, production, reserves, mining of pyrophyllite in Japan are surveyed with details listed of the Goto, Tsuchihashi and Yano-Shokozan mines and their ores as well as the Nishiyama-Higashi deposit. The chemical composition, mineral components and processing flowsheet at Shokozan are presented and a comparison is made between the different Japanese deposits. It is concluded that the ore, one of Japan's most abundant resources, has potential for further applications based on properties such as its inertness.

Pyrophyllite deposits in Japan occur in acidic volcanic rocks of late Cretaceous and Miocene age and are classified into pyrophyllite, kaolin and sericite ores based on their mineralogy. The ores are extracted using open-cast and trackless underground mining methods, and applications include refractories, pottery, tiles, cement, agricultural chemicals and glass fibres. The geology, host rocks, deposit shapes, mining methods and applications are tabulated for the major mines, including Yano-Shokozan, Tsuchihasi, Hiraki, Goto and Shinyo. Issues faced by the industry include the development of low-grade ore, the increasing price of imported ore from China and South Korea, reduced production due to higher costs, workplace health issues such as pneumoconiosis and silicosis, environmental problems associated with waste water treatment, reclamation and revegetation of mine sites, retention of mining personnel and introduction of new mining technology. Operations are described at the Yano-Shokozan open-cast mine where the ore is blasted and graded by size and chemical composition. Processing involves dry crushing to less than 60 cm, further reduction to 30 mm or less using jaw and cone crushers and hand sorting. Particles smaller than 40 mm are screened to produce materials for tile and refractory manufacture, and smaller particle of less than 1 mm are wet processed using classifiers and filter presses to produce material for bricks, cement and roof tiles. Powder for use in agricultural chemicals is crushed to less than 30 mm and, for some customers, ground in a roller mill. High-quality ore is crushed to less than 10 mm, ground in a ball mill, quartz and heavy metals removed using a classifier and the powder treated with aluminium sulphate to remove iron and bleach the powder., Pyrophyllite deposits in Japan occur in acidic volcanic rocks of late Cretaceous and Miocene age and are classified into pyrophyllite, kaolin and sericite ores based on their mineralogy. The ores are extracted using open-cast and trackless underground mining methods, and applications include refractories, pottery, tiles, cement, agricultural chemicals and glass fibres. The geology, host rocks, deposit shapes, mining methods and applications are tabulated for the major mines, including Yano-Shokozan, Tsuchihasi, Hiraki, Goto and Shinyo. Issues faced by the industry include the development of low-grade ore, the increasing price of imported ore from China and South Korea, reduced production due to higher costs, workplace health issues such as pneumoconiosis and silicosis, environmental problems associated with waste water treatment, reclamation and revegetation of mine sites, retention of mining personnel and introduction of new mining technology. Operations are described at the Yano-Shokozan open-cast mine where the ore is blasted and graded by size and chemical composition. Processing involves dry crushing to less than 60 cm, further reduction to 30 mm or less using jaw and cone crushers and hand sorting. Particles smaller than 40 mm are screened to produce materials for tile and refractory manufacture, and smaller particle of less than 1 mm are wet processed using classifiers and filter presses to produce material for bricks, cement and roof tiles. Powder for use in agricultural chemicals is crushed to less than 30 mm and, for some customers, ground in a roller mill. High-quality ore is crushed to less than 10 mm, ground in a ball mill, quartz and heavy metals removed using a classifier and the powder treated with aluminium sulphate to remove iron and bleach the powder.