Effect of Groundnut Shell Addition on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Kankia Clay for Sustainable Lightweight Refractory Applications

This work focused on the effect of groundnut shell addition to some refractory properties of Kankia clay located in Nigeria. Kankia clay and groundnut shell were prepared, milled, sieved to particle size of 0.25 mm and mixed with additions of groundnut shell of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt%. The raw materials were moulded under constant compaction pressure and then dried and fired at 1000°C for 6 h. The clay is an aluminosilicate material and the X-ray fluorescence analysis confirmed that the contents of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ were 68.11 wt% and 17.545 wt%, respectively, which makes it suitable for refractory applications. The groundnut shell was found to have a high CaO content (30.2 wt %), while its organic fraction served as the primary pore-forming component through decomposition and burnout during firing. Results of the tests revealed that apparent porosity increased as groundnut shell content increases and alternatively, bulk density, particle density and cold compressive strength decreased as groundnut shell content increases. The control specimen produced the highest value of cold compressive strength (17.31 MPa), whereas the addition of groundnut shell enhanced the green compressive strength, with the optimum obtained at 5 wt% addition. The increase in porosity and decrease in density was explained on the basis of the thermal decomposition of the lignocellulosic components of the groundnut shell that created more pores in the structure. The results indicate that Kankia clay has good refractory characteristics and by incorporating controlled amount of groundnut shell, lightweight insulating refractory with desirable properties can be produced.

Kankia Clay, Groundnut Shell, Refractory Properties, Agricultural Waste Utilization

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