CHARACTERIZATION OF A TREATED PALM OIL FUEL ASH

Authors

  • H.U. Jamo Faculty of Science, Technology and Human Development, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
  • S.G. Abdu Department of Physics, Kaduna State University, Kaduna – Nigeria

Abstract

Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) has been known to possess a pozzolanic property. The abundance of POFA as an agricultural waste makes it a promising candidate to be used as a supplementary cementations material in palm oil producing countries. This paper presents structural analysis and surface morphology of a treated Palm oil fuel ash (POFA). TheuntreatedPOFAwasgrounded for 1.5 hoursin aballmill to reducetheparticlesize and toimprovereactivity. It was then heatedat a temperature of 600οC for 1.5 hoursin an electricfurnace. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to observe the surface and internal structure of the POFA. The results among other things revealed that the POFA consists mainly of silica (SiO2) with crystalline structure. Microscopic examination showed that the POFA has a porous cellular structure and consists of irregular-shaped particles. This study implies that POFA is a good candidate for various applications by ceramic industries. 

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Published

2015-07-04

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2015)

Section

ARTICLES