Chemical Investigation of Alkaleri Kaolin Deposit for Its Potential Industrial Applications

The kaolin sample from Alkaleri in Bauchi State was analyzed to ascertain its metal and metal oxides content and to investigate their potential use for industrial purposes. Neutron activation analysis technique was used for the metals while the turbimetric and Molybdenum Blue methods were used to determine the sulphates and phosphates respectively. The result showed that the Alkaleri kaolin with Fe (1.3 x 10 -3%), K 2O(0.53%), Na 2O( 0.018%), TiO2 (4.6x10 -4%), meets the specification for paper, ceramics, rubber, porcelain, pharmaceutics, cosmetics and glaze production but its alumina content is slightly below the minimum requirement for these uses except for rubber for which the content is within the specified value and for tiles for which the value is slightly above the specification. The combination of sulphate and phosphate contents which are 4.71% and 2.18ppm respectively could increase their absorbing property and makes them more useful for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The pH value of the kaolin was found to be 4.3 which makes it unsuitable for most industrial purposes, e.g. rubber and plastic production, the pH need to be increased to 5-7 range (the preferred value for most industrial uses). The nitrate and chloride contents indicated values of 18ppm and 0.3ppm respectively.