In the Ouro Preto - MG region, there are several soap stone workshops where artesans create souvenirs and pans. This activity produces a large amount of residues which are discarded without any control. The objective of this work was to recover the talc mineral present in the size fraction below 74μm of these residues by froth flotation and chemical leaching with HCl. Among the flotation variables studied, only the percentage of solids and frother dosage proved to be significant for mass recovery and whiteness. This process produced a concentrate whose whiteness (ISO) was 68.56% and whose chemical composition meets paint and paper standards. After chemical leaching of the flotation concentrate, a whiteness of 84% was obtained and its chemical composition met the specifications of the plastic and anti-adherant plastic industries.
Soapstone; talc; residues
