The present invention relates to a process to modify at least part of the surface of an earth alkaline metal carbonate-containing material in a dry blending process as well as to a mineral product obtainable by the inventive process and uses thereof.

The object of this invention is to provide a method of mineral flotation using bioreagents extracted from Gram positive bacteria Rhodococcus opacus and Rhodococcus erythropolis. In this sense, mineral floatability was evaluated using bioreagent extracted from Gram positive bacteria to determine its potential as an alternative to synthetic reagents and also an alternative to the use of microorganisms themselves (biomass).

Provided is a method for producing a calcium carbonate sintered compact by which sintering can be done at a lower temperature and a higher-density calcium carbonate sintered compact can be produced. A method for producing a calcium carbonate sintered compact includes the steps of: preparing calcium carbonate and a sintering aid that is a mixture of potassium fluoride, lithium fluoride, and sodium fluoride and has a melting point of 600 C. or less; compression molding a mixture of the calcium carbonate and the sintering aid mixed to contain the sintering aid in an amount of 0.1 to 3.0% by mass, thus making a green compact; and sintering the green compact to produce a calcium carbonate sintered compact.

Disclosed herein are personal care and/or cosmetic compositions, comprising a carrier and oolitic aragonite beads having an average diameter between 10 nm to 10 mm. Also disclosed herein are methods of reducing plastic contamination and/or pollution comprising making a cosmetic or personal care composition, wherein at least a portion to all (100%) of the plastic microbeads in the cosmetic or personal care composition are replaced with oolitic aragonite. Also disclosed herein are a milling system and milling methods for producing oolitic aragonite particles having a clean top size in which the particles are screened to remove any oversized particles. Additional uses include drug-loaded aragonite particles for therapeutic drug delivery and chromatography media.

Provided is a calcium carbonate that comprises crystals having a particular shape and structure and has a nano-order average particle size. Provided are a method for producing a calcium carbonate that comprises crystals having a particular shape and structure and has an average particle size in a particular range and a crystal growth method. The calcium carbonate has the calcite structure, has a BET specific surface area of 2 to 50 m.sup.2/g, has a number-based average particle size of 30 nm to 1.0 m as determined by electron microscopy, and partially comprises substantially ring-like particles.

A process is described for the surface-treatment of a surface-reacted calcium carbonate. Also described, is a surface-treated surface-reacted calcium carbonate obtainable by the process, as well a composition including the surface-treated surface-reacted calcium carbonate . Methods of using at least one surface-reacted calcium carbonate for immobilizing at least one water soluble metal salt, water soluble metal hydroxide, water soluble metal oxide or mixtures thereof on the surface of the at least one surface-reacted calcium carbonate are also described. In addition, methods of using a surface-treated surface-reacted calcium carbonate as a preservative, for the control of odor and/or for enhancing and/or mediating antimicrobial activity of a substrate and an article including the surface-treated surface-reacted calcium carbonate are described.

Methods are provided for beneficially reusing a paint-saturated filter aid, such as paint-saturated alkaline earth metal carbonates, as a substitute in applications requiring virgin alkaline earth metal carbonates. The paint-saturated filter aid is prepared by re-milling paint-saturated filter aid to a predetermined size to produce re-milled particles suitable for reuse in a variety of applications, including flooring, concrete, and the like. Also provided are flooring materials including re-milled particles of a paint-saturated filter aid characterized by one or more of: a median particle size (D50) of about 1 to about 50 microns; less than about 5% of the re-milled particles being retained on a 200 mesh screen; or a top cut size (D90) of about 5 to about 300 microns.

The present invention relates to the use of a surface-reacted calcium carbonate as an anti-blocking agent in polymer(s) containing compositions, wherein the surface-reacted calcium carbonate is a reaction product of natural ground or precipitated calcium carbonate with carbon dioxide and one or more H.sub.3O.sup.+ ion donors in an aqueous medium, wherein the carbon dioxide is formed in situ by the H.sub.3O.sup.+ ion donors treatment and/or is supplied from an external source, an anti-blocking agent comprising surface-reacted calcium carbonate or a combination of surface reacted calcium carbonate and mineral material, a method for controlling the blocking of polymer(s) containing compositions, a polymer(s) containing composition comprising surface reacted calcium carbonate or a combination of surface reacted calcium carbonate and mineral material, a coating composition comprising such polymer(s) containing composition, as well as a substrate coated with such coating composition.

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of an aqueous suspension comprising at least one calcium carbonate-comprising material, the calcium carbonate-comprising material having a ratio of particles having an average particle size d.sub.80 value to particles having an average particle size d.sub.20 value [d.sub.80/d.sub.20] in the range from 1.5 to 4 and the use of the calcium carbonate-comprising material in paper and board applications, in cosmetics, in caulks and sealants, in adhesives, in paints and coatings, in fibre applications, in plastics applications or for the replacement of PCC in general.

The present invention relates to a method for producing functionally improved carbolime from carbolime, and also functionally improved carbolime, which can be produced according to the inventive method, and the use of functionally improved carbolime as filtering aid, as filler, as lime fertilizer or as adsorbent for the adsorption of dyes.