Investigation of the composition and morphology of raw materials from the Aral Sea region

Clay and Clay-based minerals have fascinated attention because of their unique properties and a vast range of applications in innumerable industrial fields. In order to assess the potential applications, six different processed local kaolin-based raw minerals were collected from the Aral Sea region of Uzbekistan, and the total mineralogical properties have been investigated. The result reveals that some significant differences occurred based on the elemental percentage of silica and alumina in all the mineral samples. The presence of corundum, quartz, and kaolinite structural phases of the mineral was determined by XRD studies. At the same time, the FTIR and Raman studies expose the primary peaks which are associated with the functional groups of Al-OH, Al-O, and Si-O in higher-frequency stretching and lower-frequency bending modes. The elemental and chemical compositional (XRF and XPS) analysis demonstrates the presence of major elements (Al, Si, Na, Fe, Ti) in the raw mineral and other metal contaminations (Mg, Ca, S, Cr, Zr). The SEM analysis demonstrates the morphological natureof kaolinite-based raw minerals that can be exploited for industrial purposes.