Potentiality of Clay Raw Materials from Northern Morocco in Ceramic Industry: Tetouan and Meknes Areas

M. El Ouahabi^1*, L. Daoudi², F. De Vleeschouwer^3,4, R. Bindler⁵, N. Fagel¹

¹UR Argile, Géochimie et Environnement Sédimentaires (AGEs), Département de Géologie, Université de Liège, Liége, Belgium.
²Département de Géologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Marrakech, Maroc.
³Université de Toulouse; INP, UPS; EcoLab (Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement); ENSAT, Castanet Tolosan, France.
⁴CNRS; EcoLab; Castanet Tolosan, France.
⁵Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umea University, Umea, Sweden.

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2014.23019                

Abstract

This study aims at evaluating the potential suitability of Tetouan and Meknes (central Morocco) clay material as raw materials in various ceramic applications by investigating their textural, chemical, thermal and firing characteristics. Textural properties were identified by specific surface area, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and bulk density (ρs). Chemical and thermal properties were assessed using XRF and TG/DTA techniques, respectively. Firing characteristics at temperatures from 800℃ to 1100℃ were determined by linear firing shrinkage, loss on weight and water absorption capacity. The Meknes clays are characterised by medium cation exchange capacity (CEC) and specific surface area (SSA) values due to their moderate smectite content. The Tetouan clays have medium to low CEC and medium SSA values. The main oxides in the clayey samples are SiO₂ (35 - 54.3 wt%), Al₂O₃ (20.6 - 43.9 wt%), and Fe₂O₃ (9.7 - 22.4 wt%). The amount of CaO in Meknes clays ranges from 8 to 12 wt%, whereas CaO is only present in some Tetouan clay (TE4, TE7, TN4 and TN5). A significant densification of ceramic behaviour could be noticed for most of Tetouan clays at firing temperatures above 1000℃. Meknes clays show earlier densification from 800℃. The chemical, textural and ceramic properties of Tetouan and Meknes clays indicate their suitability as raw materials for the production of structural ceramics. The high amount of Fe₂O₃ in all clays makes them inappropriate in fine ceramics.

Keywords

Clay Materials, Ceramic Properties, Ceramic Suitability, Morocco

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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