ESTUDIO DE LAS MICAS TIPO MOSCOVITA PRESENTES EN EL DEPARTAMENTO VALLE FÉRTIL, SAN JUAN, ARGENTINA, PARA SU INSERCIÓN EN UN MERCADO COMPETITIVO.

In Valle Fertil Department, Province of San Juan, Argentina, there is a great potential of Muscovite-type mica associated with other minerals of economic importance such as quartz and feldspar since it is the predominant mineralization in pegmatitic deposits. Argentina is among the twelve countries that produce mica worldwide. The Muscovite is one of the varieties of mica, of greater importance in the market of plastics, ceramics and cosmetics. It is used as a substrate for the synthesis of pigments, taking advantage of its properties of whiteness and pearly luster. To be marketed with high added value it must be ground below 50 µm and present a Fe content below 1%. The objective of the work was to evaluate the products of two grinding mill tests in different working conditions. To obtain a suitable material to the industry of pigments perolizados, with a D90 of 40 µm and with a suitable morphology that avoid the loss of flexibility and nature of lubrication. The results found at the laboratory level show that the micas of the Valle Fertil Department are of Muscovite quality and milling in a wet bar mill for 60 minutes, achieving a D90 = 35 µm product, suitable for the synthesis of perolized pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]