Title: Fundamental and Advanced Characterizations of Sri Lankan Feldspar for Advanced Industrial Uses

Biography:

Mr. Suresh Aluvihara received his first-degree B.Sc. (Hon’s) in 2017 from a recognized government university in Sri Lanka. He studied Earth and Mineral Science and Technology for his bachelor’s degree. After that, he commenced his postgraduate studies at the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, the University of Peradeniya under the disciplines of Environmental Engineering, Water Engineering, and Chemical and Material Engineering. Currently, he is working towards his postgraduate research activities. He has published a large number of research papers in high indexed journals, reputed conferences, and symposiums as abstracts, full papers, and scientific reports including the role of keynote speeches including outstanding experiences in reviewing and editorial works. In addition, he has been awarded as the best young scientist and as the best scholar in a few of the recognized awarding schemes held in the year 2022.

Abstract

Feldspar is a group of minerals that mainly consist of aluminosilicates with some trace elements such as Ca, Na, and K, and also feldspar is one of the most abundant minerals in the earth's crust. Usually, the minerals which are belonging to the group of feldspar have been investigated as strong abrasive materials, raw materials for both ceramic and glass industries, and gemstones. In the existing research, there were expected to investigate some common and distinctive properties of feldspar that are available in the Ocala-Kaikawala area in Sri Lanka and disclosing of their applicability and development of further advanced industrial applications. The collected representative feldspar samples were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer, optical microscope, and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). As the major outcomes of the existing analysis, there were observed that ~50% of K, and ~40% of Ca were with trace amounts of Fe and Zn. According to the analysis of the microstructures of feldspar, it seems that colorless, white, and pinkish white grains with the shapes of tabular and prismatic crystals. In the comparison of elemental compositions of such feldspar, it is possible to conclude that the presence of both alkaline feldspar (orthoclase) and plagioclase feldspar (oligoclase) because of the presence of K and Ca. Also, this feldspar could be further developed as the refractory materials for heat transferring processes, catalysts for some chemical processes, and ion exchange materials in water treatment applications because of the higher Ca content.