Cleaner production of soapstone in the Ouro Preto region of Brazil: a case study

► In this work was done characterization of soapstone powder of an artisan workshop of Santa Rita de Ouro Preto. ► Purification tests were performed by magnetic separation, flotation and leaching with HCl. ► Possibility to recover of 100% and 96% of fraction sizes larger and smaller than 74 μm, respectively, for the paper industry (wallpaper and packaging). ► For more valuable applications, it is necessary to leach the purified material from flotation with HCl.