Analysis on Some Physical and Chemical Properties of Oreke Dolomite Deposit

Jide Muili Akande, Sunday Ayodele Agbalajobi

Department of Mineral Resources Engineering, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Nigeria.
Department of Mining Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria.

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2013.12007                

Abstract

The suitability of Oreke dolomite in Kwara State, Nigeria as a raw material for the manufacturing of refractories was investigated. The Oreke dolomite samples were mingled with feldspar, clay, and quartz to form a blend. The fifteen (15) Blend samples were moulded and analyzed for their chemical, physical and mechanical properties. The characterization was carried out in accordance with American Society of Testing and Material (ASTM). The blend samples were tested for various refractory properties such as bulk density, porosity, cold crushing strength, linear shrinkage, refractoriness and others like water absorption and compressive strength. The chemical composition of the Blend was determined, using X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer and the result shows that Silica is 60%, Alumina is 11.5%, Iron Oxide is 0.48%, Calcium Oxide is 10%, Magnesium is 6.4%, Alkali is 10.4%, and Loss of Ignition of the sample is 15.28%. The addition of 10%-12% quart contents with dolomite of 20%-25% contents complements the percentage of silica in the blend thereby improving the properties of the blend. The strength characterization shows that the Compressive Strength (mean value) of the blend samples is 5.65 N/m² with respect firing temperature. The strength classification varies between medium to high and was found to satisfy the allowable standard values for the production of refractory wares.

Keywords

Dolomite; Quartz; Feldspar; Clay; Deposit; Blend; Refractories; Composition

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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