Characterization of Clay Deposit in Nkisi River of Onitsha North LGA, Anambra State Nigeria

Abstract

A combination of analytical techniques such as AAS and XRD were employed to characterize clay deposit in Nkisi river Onitsha North LGA, Anambra State. The sample was also subjected to pysico-chemical test. The results obtained show that silica (SiO2) content was the highest, followed by alumina (Al2O3) content, while the alkali and alkaline earth metal are in trace amount. XRD (X-ray diffraction) results of the deposits analyzed with Bragg’s Wolff equation, and international center for diffraction data software have identified the samples to contain the phylliosilicate minerals of mica group identified as Prehnite (CaAl2[SiO3]O10[OH]2). The physico -chemical analysis of the deposits corresponds with the XRD results.