A New Study on the Eastern Flank of the Loma Blanca Deposit (Cuba) to Establish the Mineralogical, Chemical, and Pozzolanic Properties of Zeolitised Tuffs
The geological nature of the territory of the Republic of Cuba has favoured the formation of large and varied deposits of volcanic tuffs enriched by various species of zeolites. Today, new zeolite deposits continue to be discovered in the country. This work aims to present the results of a study car...
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Chemistry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8549/4/3/48 |
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| author | Jorge L. Costafreda Domingo A. Martín Juan Herrera Jorge L. Costafreda-Velázquez Leticia Presa Ana García-Laso José Luis Parra |
| author_facet | Jorge L. Costafreda Domingo A. Martín Juan Herrera Jorge L. Costafreda-Velázquez Leticia Presa Ana García-Laso José Luis Parra |
| author_sort | Jorge L. Costafreda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The geological nature of the territory of the Republic of Cuba has favoured the formation of large and varied deposits of volcanic tuffs enriched by various species of zeolites. Today, new zeolite deposits continue to be discovered in the country. This work aims to present the results of a study carried out in an unexplored area that is located approximately 1.2 km east of the Loma Blanca deposit, outside the mining operation limits. To carry out this research and to establish a qualitative comparison between both sample populations, four samples were taken from the study area, and another four were taken from the Loma Blanca deposit. The characterisation of the samples was performed by XRD, SEM, and XRF. The pozzolan quality was determined by the pozzolanicity test (PT) and quality chemical analysis (QCA). Finally, a study of the mechanical strength (MST) was performed at 7, 28, and 90 days, using mortar specimens made with PC/ZT: 75–25% and PC/ZT: 70–30%, respectively. The results of the studies using XRD, SEM, and XRF indicated that both groups of samples had a similar complex mineralogical composition, consisting mainly of mordenite and clinoptilolite accompanied by secondary phases such as quartz and amorphous materials in the form of altered glass. The pozzolanicity test showed that both the samples from the study area and those from the Loma Blanca deposit behaved like typical pozzolans, which is a trend that can be seen in the high values of mechanical strength to compression up to 72 MPa for the PC/ZT: 75–25% formulation and 66 MPa for the PC/ZT: 70–30%. The results obtained establish that the zeolite varieties detected in the study area are similar to those of the Loma Blanca deposit, which could have a positive impact on the increase in current reserves, especially for manufacturing pozzolanic cements with properties that contribute to the preservation of the environment. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-8549 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:25:59Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Chemistry |
| spelling | doaj.art-b8c75892d58e40a9ad5d9b0f491479362023-11-23T15:35:05ZengMDPI AGChemistry2624-85492022-07-014366968010.3390/chemistry4030048A New Study on the Eastern Flank of the Loma Blanca Deposit (Cuba) to Establish the Mineralogical, Chemical, and Pozzolanic Properties of Zeolitised TuffsJorge L. Costafreda0Domingo A. Martín1Juan Herrera2Jorge L. Costafreda-Velázquez3Leticia Presa4Ana García-Laso5José Luis Parra6Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, SpainEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, SpainEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Estructuras, Empresa de Proyectos Vértice, Avenida XX Aniversario, Reparto Piedra Blanca, Holguín 80949, CubaEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, SpainEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, SpainEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, SpainThe geological nature of the territory of the Republic of Cuba has favoured the formation of large and varied deposits of volcanic tuffs enriched by various species of zeolites. Today, new zeolite deposits continue to be discovered in the country. This work aims to present the results of a study carried out in an unexplored area that is located approximately 1.2 km east of the Loma Blanca deposit, outside the mining operation limits. To carry out this research and to establish a qualitative comparison between both sample populations, four samples were taken from the study area, and another four were taken from the Loma Blanca deposit. The characterisation of the samples was performed by XRD, SEM, and XRF. The pozzolan quality was determined by the pozzolanicity test (PT) and quality chemical analysis (QCA). Finally, a study of the mechanical strength (MST) was performed at 7, 28, and 90 days, using mortar specimens made with PC/ZT: 75–25% and PC/ZT: 70–30%, respectively. The results of the studies using XRD, SEM, and XRF indicated that both groups of samples had a similar complex mineralogical composition, consisting mainly of mordenite and clinoptilolite accompanied by secondary phases such as quartz and amorphous materials in the form of altered glass. The pozzolanicity test showed that both the samples from the study area and those from the Loma Blanca deposit behaved like typical pozzolans, which is a trend that can be seen in the high values of mechanical strength to compression up to 72 MPa for the PC/ZT: 75–25% formulation and 66 MPa for the PC/ZT: 70–30%. The results obtained establish that the zeolite varieties detected in the study area are similar to those of the Loma Blanca deposit, which could have a positive impact on the increase in current reserves, especially for manufacturing pozzolanic cements with properties that contribute to the preservation of the environment.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8549/4/3/48volcanic tuffszeolitesmordeniteclinoptilolitecementpozzolanicity |
| spellingShingle | Jorge L. Costafreda Domingo A. Martín Juan Herrera Jorge L. Costafreda-Velázquez Leticia Presa Ana García-Laso José Luis Parra A New Study on the Eastern Flank of the Loma Blanca Deposit (Cuba) to Establish the Mineralogical, Chemical, and Pozzolanic Properties of Zeolitised Tuffs Chemistry volcanic tuffs zeolites mordenite clinoptilolite cement pozzolanicity |
| title | A New Study on the Eastern Flank of the Loma Blanca Deposit (Cuba) to Establish the Mineralogical, Chemical, and Pozzolanic Properties of Zeolitised Tuffs |
| title_full | A New Study on the Eastern Flank of the Loma Blanca Deposit (Cuba) to Establish the Mineralogical, Chemical, and Pozzolanic Properties of Zeolitised Tuffs |
| title_fullStr | A New Study on the Eastern Flank of the Loma Blanca Deposit (Cuba) to Establish the Mineralogical, Chemical, and Pozzolanic Properties of Zeolitised Tuffs |
| title_full_unstemmed | A New Study on the Eastern Flank of the Loma Blanca Deposit (Cuba) to Establish the Mineralogical, Chemical, and Pozzolanic Properties of Zeolitised Tuffs |
| title_short | A New Study on the Eastern Flank of the Loma Blanca Deposit (Cuba) to Establish the Mineralogical, Chemical, and Pozzolanic Properties of Zeolitised Tuffs |
| title_sort | new study on the eastern flank of the loma blanca deposit cuba to establish the mineralogical chemical and pozzolanic properties of zeolitised tuffs |
| topic | volcanic tuffs zeolites mordenite clinoptilolite cement pozzolanicity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8549/4/3/48 |
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