Abstract
Nigeria is a mineral-rich country, from crude oil to natural
minerals, despite the abundance, effective utilisation is still a
challenge. Kaolin (white China clay) is an essential raw material in
ceramics, paper, paint, plastic, and welding electrode industries, but
this vital raw material despite its abundance in the country, due to the
inability to effectively refine it to the standard requirements for
industrial purposes, Nigeria spends around 14.35 million USD annually to
meet up with the local demand. This study harnesses the effect of
magnesia on this raw material as a ceramic for structural applications
using the slip-casting method. Kaolin was analyzed using X-ray
fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis
(TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning
electron microscopy (SEM). The XRF analysis revealed that all samples
had SiO2 (54.41 wt%),
Al2O3 (34.05 wt%), and other trace
elements as components. Quartz, microcline, and orthoclase were the main
mineral phases identified. Sample 30-200 recorded the highest
compressive strength (218.MPa) the highest flexural rigidity was
observed on sample 15-200, this indicated that higher magnesia
composition reduces the compressive and flexural strength of the
ceramics. XRF, XRD, and FTIR spectra confirmed the elemental and
chemical compositions of the samples, SEM showed the morphology of the
structure of the samples; which showed that when the percentage of
magnesia (MgO) was increased from 10 to 60%, the void spaces in the
samples increases. TGA analysis explored the relationship between %mass
loss and temperature variation of the ceramic samples.
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