Go Back Opi-Agu Ferruginous Stones as a Source for Locally Derived Iron Oxide
Nigeria is endowed with 100% ceramics production raw materials requirement for its ceramics development, yet the local content of the national ceramics output is negligible. This is partly attributable to lack of processed ceramic raw materials due to low raw materials processing technology and dependency on imported goods. This research looks inward to source iron oxide from Opi-Agu ferruginous stones which is abundant in Opi-Agu in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. After winning and sorting, the iron stones were crushed before ball milling. The outcome was sieved through 120 mesh before drying. Test firing was done in an oxidation atmosphere using 5% of the iron oxide. The result was a range of browns; from red brown at 1050°C to dark brown at 1150°C and chocolate brown at 1250oC. Through this research, red iron oxide (hematite) was successfully extracted from Opi-Agu iron stones for use in low and high fired ceramic wares.