Research Article

Assessment of a Nigerian talc ore for improved industrial application by sulphuric acid leaching

Alafara A. Baba1*, Abdullah S. Ibrahim2, Rafiu B. Bale3, Folahan A. Adekola1, Abdul G. F. Alabi4
1 Department of Industrial Chemistry, University of Ilorin
2 Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin
3 Department of Geology and Mineral Sciences, University of Ilorin
4 Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Ilorin
* Corresponding author: alafara@unilorin.edu.ng
Published: Jun, 2015
Pages: 1-6

Abstract

Talc by its intrinsic properties is an important material with diverse industrial applications. In the present work, the evaluation of a Nigeria sourced talc ore for industrial utilization by sulphuric acid leaching was studied and accordingly characterized. During the experiments, it was found that the increase in acid concentration, reaction temperature and decreased particle size increase the extent of the ore dissolution. At optimal conditions (2.0 mol/L H2SO4, 75°C, -90+75µm), 71.2% of the ore reacted within 120 minutes with moderate stirring. The unleached product was analysed to contain silica. The estimated activation energy of 28.72 kJ/mol supported the proposed diffusion-controlled reaction kinetics. The leached product is hydrophilic having specific surface area increased from 0.15 m2 /g to 3.76 m2 /g with total cumulative pore volume of 0.010986 ml/g. Finally, a decrease in the ore’s iron content from 3.75% to 0.16% yielded 95.73% product purity

Keywords

Talc ore; Nigeria; Leaching; Sulphuric acid; Dissolution kinetics; High surface area; Product purity

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How to Cite

Baba, A. A., Ibrahim, A. S., Bale, R. B., Adekola, F. A., & Alabi, A. G. F. (2015). Assessment of a Nigerian talc ore for improved industrial application by sulphuric acid leaching. Nigerian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering, 7(1), 1-6.

A. A. Baba, A. S. Ibrahim, R. B. Bale, F. A. Adekola, and A. G. F. Alabi, "Assessment of a Nigerian talc ore for improved industrial application by sulphuric acid leaching," Nigerian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 1-6, June 2015.

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