Spectroscopic Examination of Sedimentary Minerals in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, Located in Sub-Saharan Africa, Using XRD, EdXRF, and FTIR Methods

Abstract

Abdulrahman Babatunde Ameen and Folahan Amoo Adekola

This study investigates the chemical and crystal structural properties of sediment minerals from Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State in Nigeria's North Central Zone, using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Spectroscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. The primary minerals identified at three sampling locations in Ilorin were quartz (SiO2 ), followed by anatase, with lower concentrations of oxides like ilmenite, chlorite, garnet, graphite, orthoclase, goethite, and sanidine, alongside trace elements in impurity form. The XRD results aligned with the EDXRF findings, revealing the highest silica concentration (65.768) and the lowest levels of nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, and lanthanum III oxide (0.00). In the FTIR analysis, strong absorption bands were noted at 3911 and 3656, representing the primary components of the sediment samples analyzed. These bands correspond to stretching vibrations of water, hydroxyl groups, and organic alcohols. Additionally, weaker bands were observed at wave numbers of 98.725 - 98.861, indicating (CO3 )2- asymmetric and symmetric stretching, as well as Si- O-Si symmetrical bending. The presence of the silica (Si-O-Si) vibration in the samples confirms the existence of quartz. Other notable bands at 689.6 - 775.3, 909.5, and 1028.7 are linked to amino stretching or M-N stretching. The sediments also exhibited face-centered cubic structure, hexagonal close-packed, and body-centered cubic structure. The minimal impurities in the sediment minerals suggest the high purity of the quartz sand in the North Central region.

PDF