ABSTRACT
Clay samples were collected from five (5) different sites selected in Okada Community. The study and preliminary investigations were carried out on the samples as well as property test and elemental analysis.
An integration of analytical techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscope were employed. The X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) results show that the Silica (SiO2) content was the highest (56.792 wt.%), and that of MgO was the lowest (0.048 wt.%). Other oxides include Al2O3 (18.794 wt.%), Fe2O3 (8.948 Wt.%), CaO (8.035 Wt.%) and some small amounts of other oxides such as K2O (1.868 Wt.%), P2O5 (1.682 Wt.%), And TiO2, (0.108 Wt.%). Trace elements such as; Ni, Co, Cu, K, Mn, and zn were observed in all the samples.
The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) studies carried out on the samples collected from the study areas showed the presence of kaolinite (4-15%), illite (0.5-9%), and montmorillonite (0.4-17%) which is the predominate clay mineral and also present in all clay samples obtained. The chemical tests also showed other non clay minerals such as; Silica, muscovite, albite, and orthoclase, with Silica being the most abundant of all minerals ranging from 39 to 66% in the clay sample collected from Okada community.
