Process for removing impurities from kaolin clays

A process for removing colored titaniferous impurities from kaolin clay, wherein the process comprises the sequential steps of:

• A. blunging kaolin clay in the presence of a dispersant, water and a pH modifier to form a kaolin clay dispersion having a pH above 6.0;
• B. conditioning the impurities by adding a collector to the kaolin clay dispersion under continued agitation, wherein the amount of collector added is sufficient to promote flotation of the impurities;
• and
• C. subjecting the kaolin clay dispersion to froth flotation to substantially remove the impurities;
• wherein the collector is a blend of (1) a fatty acid compound having the formula:
• ##STR5## in which R is an alkyl, aryl or alkylaryl group having 1-26 carbon atoms, and M is hydrogen, an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal and (2) a hydroxamate compound having the formula:
• ##STR6## in which R' is an alkyl, aryl or alkylaryl group having 4-28 carbon atoms, and M' is hydrogen, an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal.