Year: 2026 | Month: October | Volume: 13 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 280-290
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20261026
Physicochemical, Mineralogical and Thermal Characterization of a Lateritic Clay from Toglou (Senegal) for Potential Use as a Reactive Clay in LC3 Cements
Cheikh Kairé Ndiaye1,2,3, Dame Keindé1, Seydou Khoule Diagne1,3, Ibra Sene2
1Laboratoire Eau, Energie, Environnement et Procedes Industriels, Ecole Superieure Polytechnique (ESP), Universite Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop, BP 5085, Dakar-Fann, Senegal
2Quality Control Laboratory, SOCOCIM Industries, Route de Bargny, Rufisque, Senegal
3PrimoLab, Dakar, Senegal
Corresponding Author: Cheikh Kairé Ndiaye
ABSTRACT
A lateritic clay from the Toglou deposit (Senegal) was characterized to evaluate its potential valorization in an LC3 (Limestone Calcined Clay Cement). The sample was analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD, Rietveld method) to estimate its kaolinite content, by laser granulometry to measure its fineness after grinding (confirmed by an independent Blaine measurement), and by Atterberg limits and differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG). The results show a kaolinite content of 46.1%, associated with 40.8% illite, i.e. a sum of phyllosilicate phases of 86.8%, with feldspars (albite and K-feldspar) totaling about 9.1% and a residual quartz and carbonate content below 4%. The SiO2/Al2O3 ratio (1.44) and the Fe2O3 content (4.38%), both markedly higher than in a high-purity metakaolin, are discussed with regard to their influence on pozzolanic reactivity and the colour of the calcined product. The specific surface area, determined by air permeametry (Blaine, 947.8 ± 31.3 m2/kg), and the Atterberg limits (LL = 44.8%; PI = 17.7%; USCS class ML) confirm a kaolinite/illite-type behaviour without smectite. DTG analysis, performed on three independent samples identified within a wider batch of eight Senegalese clay samples sent for thermal analysis, confirms a dehydroxylation domain consistently located between 500 and 560°C, principally associated with the dehydroxylation of kaolinite, although the relative intensity of this signal varied between samples. This domain provides a reference point for the study of thermal activation, but does not on its own define the optimal calcination temperature, which will need to be determined experimentally. These results place the Toglou clay within the 40-60% kaolinite range reported in the literature as favourable for good mechanical performance in an LC3 formulation after calcination, an aptitude that remains to be confirmed experimentally.
Keywords: calcined clay, LC3, kaolinite, Senegal, mineralogical characterization, low-carbon cement
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