Talc’s  properties  (platyness,  softness,  hydro-phobicity, organophilicity, inertness and mineralogical composition) provide specific functions in many industries.

Agriculture and Food: Talc is an effective anti-cakingagent, dispersing agent and die lubricant and therefore helps animal feed and fertilizer plants to function more efficiently. In premixes and agricultural chemicals, it makes an ideal inert carrier. Talc is also used as an anti-stick coating agent in a number of popular foods including chewing gum, boiled sweets, cured meats, and for rice polishing. In olive oil production, as a processing aid, it increases yield and improves the clarity of the oil.

Ceramics: Talc is a phyllosilicate which imparts a wide range  of  functions  to  floor  and  wall  tiles  and sanitaryware,  tableware,  refractories  and  technical ceramics. In traditional building ceramics (tiles and sanitaryware), it is used essentially as a flux, enabling firing  temperatures  and  cycles  to  be  reduced.

In  refractory  applications,  chlorite-rich  talcs  are transformed into cordierite to improve thermal shock resistance. For steatite ceramics, talcs with a micro-crystalline are the most appropriate. During firing, the talc is transformed into enstatite, which possesses electro-insulating  proper ties.  As  for  very  low  iron content talcs, they are particularly suitable for use in frit, engobe and glaze compositions.

Coatings: Talcs confer a whole range of benefits to coatings. In interior and exterior decorative paints, they act as extenders to improve hiding power and titanium dioxide efficiency. Talc’s lamellar platelets make paint easier to apply and improve cracking resistance and sagging. They also enhance matting. In anti-corrosion primers, talcs are used to improve corrosion resistance and paint adhesion. They also bring benefits to inks, jointing compounds, putties and adhesives.

Paper: Talcs are used in both uncoated and coated rotogravure papers where they improve printability as well as reducing surface friction, giving substantial improvements in productivity at the paper mill and print house. They also improve mattness and reduce ink scuff in offset papers. Used as pitch control agents, talcs « clean » the papermaking process by adsorbing any sticky resinous particles in the pulp onto their platy surfaces, thereby preventing the agglomeration and deposition of these on the felts and calenders. As
opposed to chemical pitch-control products that pollute the process water, talc is removed together with the pulp, enabling the papermaker to operate more easily in closed-circuit.  In speciality papers such as coloured papers or labels, talcs help to improve quality and productivity.

Personal Care: As it is soft to the touch and inert, talc has been valued for centuries as a body powder. Today it  also  plays  an  impor tant  role  in  many  cosmetic products, providing the silkiness in blushes, powder compacts  and  eye  shadows,  the  transparency  of foundations  and  the  sheen  of  beauty  creams.  In pharmaceuticals, talc is an ideal excipient, used as a glidant, lubricant and diluent. Soap manufacturers also use talc to enhance skin care performance.

P l a s t i c s : Talcs  impar t  a  variety  of  benefits  to polypropylene,  for  instance  higher  stiffness  and improved  dimensional  stability.  In  automotive  par t s
(under-the-hood/bonnet, dashboard, bumper interiors and exterior trim), household appliances and white goods. It requires advanced milling technology to obtain
the finest talcs without diminishing the reinforcing power of their lamellar structure.  Talcs are also used for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) antiblocking and as a nucleating agent in semi-crystalline polymers. In polypropylene food packaging applications, talc is a highly effective reinforcing filler .

Ru b b e r : Talcs  reduce  the  viscosity  of  ru b b e r compounds,  thereby  facilitating  the  processing  of moulded parts. They also improve extrudate qualities, increasing production rates and enhancing UV radiation resistance of exterior parts such as automotive profiles. In sealants and gaskets, they provide good compression resistance,  whilst  in  pharmaceutical  stoppers,  they create a barrier against liquids. In cables, talcs function as  insulators  and  in  tyre  manufacture  they  make
excellent processing aids.

Wastewater treatment: Speciality talc can improve the performance of biological wastewater treatment plants. The talc particles ballast the flocs of bacteria and
accelerate  their  sedimentation.  The  addition  of  talc results in top quality discharge and zero bacterial loss. I can help to upgrade plants without resorting to costly
plant expansions. As opposed to most chemicals used to clean wastewater, such as chlorine or aluminium salts, talc is a natural, environmentally-friendly mineral additive.  And  because  it  is  iner t,  it  preserves  the fertilising value of sewage sludge.