Browsing by Author "Ibrahim, A.S"

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    BLEACHING OF A NIGERIAN KAOLIN BY OXALIC ACID LEACHING
    (University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 2015) Baba, A.A; Masobalaje, M.A; Ibrahim, A.S; Girigisu, S; Eletta, O.A; Fasakin, I.A; Aluko, I; Adekola, F.A
    The level of improvement of whiteness of Egbeda (Nigeria) kaolin ore by oxalic acid leaching was investigated. The effects of acid concentration, reaction temperature and particle size on the extent of the ore dissolution were examined. The results of the leaching investigation on the improvement of the ore whiteness assessment were found to increase with increasing acid concentration, reaction temperature and decreasing particle size. At optimal leaching (0.5 mol L-1 H2C2O4, 85°C, 120 minutes) with moderate stirring, the dissolution reached 79.9 %, when total iron removal was achieved as evidenced from the EDXRF and EDS analyses. The dissolution curves were analyzed and found to conform to the surface chemical reaction, and the calculated activation energy of 41.34 kJ mol-1 supported the proposed model. These results are also corroborated by the output of the Post-Hoc test by Duncan Univariate Anova Analysis using SPSS 7.1. Finally, oxalic acid proved to be effective for treating the Egbeda (Nigeria) kaolin ore for total iron impurities removal and improving the ore whiteness for possible industrial utilities. Keywords: kaolin ore, Nigeria, leaching, oxalic acid, bleaching, iron impurities removal.