Determination of the Talc Grade in Samples from the Mine and the Processing Plant in Gemerská Poloma by Utilising Thermogravimetry

Due to the mineralogical composition of the run-of-mine, the determination of the talc grade is challenging in the mine and the processing plant in Gemerská Poloma. The loss-on-ignition at 1050 °C is not sufficient for an estimation of the talc grade. In the past, results from different methods (XRF, loss-on-ignition at 1050 °C, carbon and sulfur from a combustion method) were used for the calculation of the talc grade. In the presented work, a new approach based on the usage of the loss-on-ignition conducted in various steps is presented. It was proven that the difference between the loss-on-ignition at 1000 and 750 °C correlates with the talc grade of the samples. The presented theoretical approach was implemented by utilisating a thermogravimetric analyser in Gemerská Poloma.