Physico-chemical investigations of high iron bauxite for application of refractive and ceramics

Abstract

The present paper outlines the physico-chemical and mineralogical characteristics of high iron bearing bauxite sample for the applications of refractive and ceramics. Bauxite is widely used for refractory, ceramic and abrasives production due to its distinctive properties like high stability, high melting point, and high alumina content. Bauxite used in the present investigation has been collected from the various places of Damanjodi deposits, Odisha, India. The studied ore has been systematically characterized with the help of wet chemical analysis, thermal (differential thermal analysis), mineralogical phases (X-ray diffraction), microscopic (optical microscopy) and FTIR analysis. In addition to this, attempts have also been made to study the reduction of bauxite, which depends upon it's the chemical composition. The obtained results showed that the bauxite ore has been mineralogically associated with gibbsite, ferruginous mineral phases like hematite along with silica, and titania. The results also reveal that the iron content in the processed bauxite has been decreased below 2% and can be used as suitable raw material for refractory and ceramics applications.