Physico-chemical characterization of clay mineral mixtures from Boyacá-Colombia

Abstract

An adequate identification of physico-chemical properties of clay minerals is an important step to develop technological applications. In Colombia, a common issue is that the evaluation of raw materials with the preparation of the final product depend on empirical knowledge, it is common not to use any kind of technological tool to conduct any analysis. In contrast, the clay mixtures for this study were prepared and characterized by following a careful procedure to evaluate and control the qualities such as color of the final product. For this purpose, differential scanning calorimetry, magnetization, scanning electron microscopy, X-rays analysis, and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy techniques were applied. It is possible to conclude that the implementation scientific techniques in the sector of clay minerals may serve as a powerful tool, since preparing samples in an empirical way have been proved to lead to different qualities in the final product.