| Popis: |
Mayo-belwa clay deposit in Adamawa state, Nigeria was characterized to establish its use industrially. The major properties investigated were drying and firing behavior, apparent porosity, bulk density, water absorption capacity, plasticity, modulus of rupture, shrinkage, and chemical compositions. The results from the analysis showed a chemical composition of 59.8%SiO2, 7.08%Al2O3, 2.54%Fe2O3, 0.3% MgO, 4.39% Na2O, 2.54% K2O and 1.5% CaO. The clay has a moderate plasticity of about 2.83 kgf/cm2, moderate shrinkage of 10.5%, modulus of rupture (strength) ranging from 22.56 kgF/cm2 to 34.86 kgF/cm2 and the color ranged from grey to red on firing. The properties signify that Mayo-Belwa clay is stoneware clay. It can be used for the production of stoneware, flowerpot, source of silica for floor tiles and brick making. It can also be used as a binder in the absence of standard binder like phosphoric acid. |
