Production of Submicron Particles by Mechanical Treatment: Width of Particle Size Distribution and Fineness of Product

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) powders commonly used as a functional filler in paints, inks, papers, plastics, cosmetics, and so on, are generally produced by mechanical treatment (milling). This research was aimed to produce calcium carbonate submicron particles by stirred milling in wet conditions. The experiments were carried out by a batch operation, and determined the change in particle size distribution (PSD) of calcium carbonate. The product size (fineness) and PSD were used in the evaluation of the test results. The results showed that wet grinding in a stirred bead mill using the smaller grinding media (500 mu m) is an effective method for reduction of product size (approximate to 500nm) of the CaCO3 powder.