ABSTRACT
This study analyzed the characterization of clay from Okuribada in Okurekpo community, Ethiope East Local Government, Delta State, Nigeria. The characterization is based on their physicochemical characterization, mineralogy, and elemental analysis using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The pH was 6, the bulk density was 1.1g/cm3 , the Cation exchange capacity was 5.1meq/100g, the electrical conductivity was 90µs/cm, total organic matter was 4.65%, pore volume was 0.2cm3 /g, porosity was 23%, pore size was 5.423nm, and surface area was 1048.370 m2 /g. The morphology of the clay at 9000X was determined with SEM which shows that the clay from Okuribada has a typical structure of conventional Quartz while that of the zeolite at 2000X was densely agglomerated which reveals the definite shape of the particles. The zeolite appeared as three dimensional structures with needle-like shape. The resulting silica to alumina (Si/Al) ratio of the clay was 3.89 while that of the Zeolite produced was 4.02. The general data revealed that the primary constituents of the clay were high quartz content and a high SiO2 of 62.67% while that of Zeolite was 65%. The XRF result showed that SiO2 and Al2O3 concentration is dominant in the clay. However, there were presence of some impurities (contaminations) such as TiO2, Fe2O3, k2O, and MgO concentration but these are very insignificant. Therefore, the characteristics of clay from Okuribada is suitable for Zeolite production in the manufacture of industrial catalyst for a petroleum catalytic cracking operation and it can also be used to produce good glass and ceramic products due to its high melting and thermal resistance because of the high content of Quartz. This study investigated the use of pyrolysis of plastic waste to produce heating oil. Plastic wastes (PET) were used as the starting material. The zeolite produced was used as a catalyst to increase oil conversion. The pyrolysis process was carried out in the temperature range of 200oC–450 °C. The oil product was collected at the bottom of the condenser and its volume was measured. The Specific gravity was 0.8201, Kinematic viscosity was 1.24mm2 /s, Calorific value was 4.3kcal/kg, and Flash point was 2.5oC.The experimental results showed that the optimal temperature for pyrolysis of plastic waste with the zeolite catalysts was 450°C. At this temperature, the liquid fuel yield obtained was 9% by weight. In addition, the results of physical property analysis showed that the properties of the oil products were in ranges of kerosene than those of other commercial fuels.
