The Chemical Assessment of Kankara Kaolin for its Potential Industrial Applications

Abstract

Kaolin samples from Kankara in Kastina, North-West Nigeria was analysed to investigate its potential use for different industrial applications. The samples were analysed using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) with Near Infra-Red analytical techniques. The result showed that Kankara kaolin with Fe2O3 content of 2.4 x 10-5%, K2O content of 0.061%, Na2O content of 0.6% and TiO2 (BDL) meets the specification for paper, ceramic, rubber, porcelain, pharmaceutics and cosmetics and glaze production. Its Al2O3 content of 35.28% also satisfies the requirement for the aforementioned applications except for pharmaceutics and cosmetics for which the value is above the specification (23.5%). The pH value of the kaolin was found to be 5.2, making it useful for most industrialpurposes since pH range for most industrial applications lies in the range of 5-7. The Kankara kaolin was found to be good for most industrial applications.