Characterization of the Natural Dolomite from Thanh Liem Area, Vietnam, and Its Applications

Abstract

Natural dolomite is a common mineral in Thanh Liem area, Vietnam. Currently, many dolomite mines in the area have been searched, explored and put into operation, meeting raw materials for different fields of use. However, the literature evaluating the quality characteristics of limestone is limited. This paper aims to assess the quality of the natural dolomite in the study area by combining previous data and some new analytical results such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), the scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and differential thermal analysis-thermogravimetry (DTA-TG). The results show that the regional dolomite has good quality and can be used in many different fields. Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) was the predominant mineral in the samples, followed by calcite (CaCO3) and other trace minerals (quartz,..). The main element oxide contents of CaO and MgO are 32.5–42.1%, and 12.7–19.6%, respectively. The content of other oxides such as Al2O3, T.Fe, SiO2, MnO and K2O is not significant. The mechanical and physical properties of the stone completely meet the fields of civil construction. In addition, to improve the quality of raw materials used for each field, some mineral processing charts of dolomite and their main applications are also presented in the paper. It will be useful information for planning, exploiting and using this dolomite effectively.