Physical–chemical characterization of Tunisian clays for the synthesis of geopolymers materials

•Three clay from the El Kef, Douiret and Gafsa basins were investigated.•Clay samples display a high content of calcite and low amounts of kaolinite.•Possibility to use Tunisian clays in the manufacturing of consolidated materials.•Addition of metakaolin improves reactivity of consolidated materials properties.

Natural clay materials from Tunisia were examined as an aluminosilicate source for the synthesis of consolidated materials at low temperatures. Three clay samples were collected from the El Kef, Douiret and Gafsa basins and calcined at different temperatures. All of the samples were characterized using chemical and mineralogical analyses, thermogravimetry, dilatometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements. The chemical (XRF) and mineralogical analyses (XRD and FTIR) indicated that all of the samples contained various amounts of kaolinite and quartz, followed by calcite, mica, palygorskite and gypsum. Curing produced a binder which did not significantly affect the physic-chemical properties of these clays. The obtained materials heterogeneous did not reach the geopolymerization stage, most likely because of their low kaolinite content. The addition of a suitable aluminosilicate to these clays is therefore recommended to produce homogeneous consolidated geopolymers. The synthesized materials obtained after the addition of metakaolin to the formulation to improve reactivity have interesting properties, thereby providing good potential for Tunisian clays in the synthesis of geopolymers.

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