Table 1.
Composition of the natural mineral phyllosilicates investigated
| Sample | Composition | Physico-chemical propertiesa | Dry granulometry (%) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.E.C. (meq/ 100 g) | S.A. (m2/g) | CaCO3 (%) | Moisture (%) | % Water Absorption | pH Bulk density (g/l) | Ash (%) | >125 µm | 75 µm | 45 µm | >45 µm | |||
| Mineral1 | Smectite (93%), | 45.4 | 60 | 4.0 | 7.74 | 77 | 7.4 | 820 | 9.23 | 4.8 | 12.9 | 18.9 | 63.5 |
| Quartz (5%), | |||||||||||||
| Dolomite (1), | |||||||||||||
| Feldspar (1%) and | |||||||||||||
| traces of plaster, | |||||||||||||
| ilite and kaolinite | |||||||||||||
| Mineral2 | Smectite (95%), | 144.3 | 51 | 2 | 15.24 | 191 | 9 | 829 | 4.06 | 13.7 | 17.1 | 21.4 | 47.9 |
| Quartz (1%), | |||||||||||||
| Feldspar (1%) | |||||||||||||
| and mica (traces) | |||||||||||||
| Mineral3 | Smectite (96%), | 41.4 | 114 | 2 | 7.18 | 121 | 8 | 844 | 7.09 | 4.5 | 16.8 | 23.6 | 55.2 |
| Quartz (1%) and | |||||||||||||
| traces of plaster, | |||||||||||||
| ilite and kaolinite | |||||||||||||
a C.E.C. = Cation Exchange Capacity.
S.A. = Surface Area.