Effects of Beneficiation on the Thermophysical Properties of Kaolin Deposits in Nigeria for Space Applications

Kaolin-based ceramic materials include Clay, feldspar, kaolinite and silica clay are important industrial materials which often need treatment, commonly known as beneficiation, to improve the quality of ceramic alumina present in the kaolin materials. However, there is limited information on the impact of beneficiation on the thermophysical properties of kaolin in Nigeria for space application. The kaolin was sourced from Ijero, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Kaolin was wet beneficiated from 0 to 46 hours as established by literature, while compositions were determined using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The thermophysical properties (Water Absorption, porosity, density, and swelling rate) and Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) of the Beneficiated Kaolin (BK) were determined and compared with Unbeneficiated Kaolin (UBK). The results from XRF yielded for UBK sample 73.0% , 22.22% and 69.94% , 28.23% for BK. This implies an improvement in the chemical composition of the BK sample. A tremendous improvement in porosity and density was noticeable in the sample BK compared to UBK. The TGA and DTA curves revealed a weight loss of 2% to 10% for the UBK sample, but a weight loss of 2% to 5% was observed for BK. This implies an enhancement in the thermophysical properties of BK. The percentage weight loss enhances the stability and contributes to the strength of kaolin-based ceramic materials under temperature loading, and sample BK is hereby recommended for space application.