Abstract
The Meiganga lateritic clays and termite mounds were characterized for their use as construction materials. The six collected samples were subjected to mineralogical, geochemical, and physico-mechanical tests. Quartz, kaolinite, hematite, goethite, gibbsite, muscovite, and anatase are the main minerals in raw materials, while after firing at 1050 °C, mullite is formed. The SiO2/Al2O3 ratio greater than 1 indicates a high SiO2 content, which is consistent with the presence of quartz as an associate mineral to kaolinite. Considering linear shrinkage globally less than 5 % and flexural and compressive strengths greater than 2 and 7 MPa, respectively, four clay materials are suitable to produce bricks at all the studied temperatures, whereas two others only after firing at 1050 °C. As the studied characteristics do not depend on the nature of the material, exploring termite mound material in the Meiganga area would provide additional good-quality material to make up for any deficit that might arise.
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