Microstructural and magnetic characterization of dusts from a stone crushing industry in Birbhum, India

Stone dust sample collected from a stone crushing industry situated at Muhammad Bazar in Birbhum, India, is studied for its physical characterization using various techniques. Morphology and compositional analysis of the stone dust by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveal that the dust is an agglomeration of many tiny particles (0.32–2.12 μm), mostly having sharp edges, as well show microstructure heterogeneity. Elements present in the sample are detected by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern analysis shows that the sample mainly contains minerals like anorthite, augite, esseneite and albite. An overall antiferromagnetic interaction in this sample has been indicated by the nature of the thermal dependence of magnetization. The remnant magnetization study apparently indicates two magnetic transitions at low temperatures. 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy has been employed to detect different possible iron sites as well as to estimate the respective site population. In general, Mössbauer spectroscopic results corroborate the observations made through XRD analysis in general.