New Perspectives in Science Education

This article results from work developed in the discipline "Material characterization by X-ray Diffraction", held by Professor Vincent Buono, for the Master's degree in Materials Engineering, at the School of Engineering, of Federal University of Minas Gerais.

The overall objective of the study is to characterize the residue from sand processing of a mortar industry located in the region of Ouro Branco/MG (Brazil), overlooking its reuse.

The specific objectives are:

• Examine through x-ray diffraction, possible mineralogical composition of the residue;

• Performing the assay of x-ray fluorescence to aid in the identification of minerals by chemical composition;

• Check whether the residue analyzed may have applications in construction.

Due to its characteristics, applications and economic value, producers and consumers of sand intended for use as aggregate in construction differ from those of industrial sand. The sand for construction is used due to its physical properties, while industrial sands are valued for its physical and chemical properties (BGS, 2009). However, natural sand, being a material of great use in engineering works, has undergone a progressive depletion of its reserves, with the consequent increase of its cost and the search for alternative solutions, such as artificial sand.

In this work, it was used the residue of a beneficiation production mortar industry located in Ouro Branco (MG / Brazil). The beneficiation process of this sand consists on separate the materials with a particle size greater than 5 mm, followed by artificial drying and subsequent passage through a bag filter. The material is then rated granulometrically, and those with grain size below 0.6 mm for the productive process.

Afterwards, the material was analyzed using X-Ray diffraction so that it would be possible to know its properties and, consequently, the possibility of reusing it as a construction material.

 This paper then describes the process of processing the sand, the method of x-ray diffraction, and the interpretation of their results.

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