Partially Lateritised Khondalite (PLK) rocks are the bauxite mining waste materials
generated during mining and dumped at the mining site, create environmental pollution. These waste
rocks can be utilized as filler materials for different industrial applications after grinding to suitable
mesh size. Thermal shock treatment on ore is used for grain boundary breakage and size reduction,
due to thermal shock treatment the surface adsorbed gangue minerals also releases and expose new
surface area in the ore. Comminution study is used after this treatment for further reduction in size.
In comminution study, ball mill has good selective grinding performance. This paper deals with the
effect of thermal shock treatment on grinding characteristics of PLK rock and the overall energy
savings achieved. Alumina based filler/ceramic materials were used in different industries. Thermal
shock of the samples was evaluated using water quench test. Surface deterioration level of samples
was monitored by image analysis before and after quenching. A total energy saving of the order of
52.8 % could be achieved when a sample preheated at 1123 K for 60 minutes followed by coldwater
quenching and grinding.