Illite Clay Research Articles

Role of Organic Matter Present in the Water Column on Turbidity Flows

Turbidity flows are known to be affected by the density difference between sediment plumes and the surrounding water. However, besides density, other factors could lead to changes in flow propagation. Such a factor is the presence of suspended organic matter. Recently, it was found that flocculation does occur within plumes upon release of a sediment/organic matter mixture in a lock exchange flume. In the present study, mineral sediment (illite clay) was released into the outflow compartment containing water and synthetic organic matter (polyacrylamide flocculant). Even though the density of water was barely affected by the presence of flocculant, flow head velocity was observed to be larger in the presence of flocculant than without. Samples taken at different positions in the flume indicated that flocs were created during the small current propagation time (about 30–60 s) and that their sizes were larger with higher flocculant dosage. The size of flocs depended on their positions in the flow: flocs sampled in the body part of the flow were larger than the ones sampled at the bottom. All these properties are discussed as a function of sediment–flocculant interactions.

First Principle Study of the Adsorption of Glyphosate on Illite Clay for Water Depollution

The use of herbicides such as glyphosate in the agricultural sector enables agricultural intensification and thus satisfies the demand for agricultural products on the market. Glyphosate is widely used in agriculture as a herbicide for weeding fields. However, its use has a major drawback that calls into question its many advantages. After use, its toxic residues and metabolites end up in groundwater, which is an important source of drinking water for the population. Adsorption is the most suitable technique for recovering these toxic residues before the water is consumed. Based on Density Functional Theory, implemented in the VASP simulation code, we studied the ability of illite to adsorb glyphosate. The absorbent properties, the abundance of illite throughout the world, particularly in Benin, and the fact that it is free from toxic products were the criteria that guide us in the of illite clay for our work. Our work revealed that the process of adsorption of glyphosate on the illite surface is exothermic. This process does not present any risk of release of toxic by-products on five of the six studied sites. The illite clay can then be used to design water depollution filters to decrease medical as well as financial burden.

Valorization of Different Clays Used in the Treatment of Oily Wastewater in the Development of Construction Products

AbstractThe aim of this research is to study the feasibility of using clays used in the decontamination of wastewater containing olive oil wastewater (OOW), new lubricating oil (NOW) or motor oil (MOW) in the manufacture of ceramic bricks. Three types of clays were used for filtration, kaolinite type clay (KT), smectite type clay (CT) both from Tunisia and illitic chloritic clay (CS) from Jaén (Spain). These clays containing different types of oils, as well as the control clays, were used in the manufacture of bricks fired at 900 °C. These bricks were characterized by physical, mechanical and thermal tests. The sintered microstructure’s evolution was followed by tracked through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The results indicate that the specific type of clay used influences the technological characteristics of the bricks. The use of CT clay gives rise to increase bulk density, greater compressive strength, and reduced apparent porosity and water absorption. The use of clays used in the decontamination of water containing oils produced a decrease in bulk density, compressive strength and thermal conductivity and leads to an increase in apparent porosity and water absorption in the order OOW > NOW > MOW according to the total organic carbon content (TOC). Therefore, the use of clays used in the filtration of water that contain different oils can represent a promising way of valorizing this waste, which can alleviate the environmental impact and represents economic savings for the industry of construction materials with properties of thermal insulation, getting closer to a circular economy.

Pottery Production Changes During the Transition from Byzantine to Umayyad Rule

Pottery is the most affected tool by the changes in human societies; this is due to its flexibility during forming. In order to estimate the effect of the transition of inhabitants of the urban center of Umm Qais (Gadara), north Jordan, from Byzantine (Christianity) to Umayyad (Islam) rule on pottery production traditions, a total of 29 cooking pots and sherds of pottery jars were selected. The samples were dated according to stratigraphy, archaeological context, and parallel examples to the proposed periods. The samples were investigated following the typological and archaeometric approaches. The raw materials and firing technology of the pottery during the two periods were determined following chemical and mineralogical methods using petrography, XRD, ED-XRF, and EDX-SEM techniques. The results revealed that many styles and forms of pottery continued to be produced and some new styles emerged at the urban center of Gadara. Technically, the potters inherited the knowledge of selecting the available raw materials and firing conditions of pottery during the Byzantine and Umayyad periods. During these periods, Umm Qais potters used the local raw materials—non-calcareous ferruginous illite clays mixed with medium to high amounts of coarse quartz grains and fired at temperatures around 1000° in an oxidizing atmosphere to produce cooking pots. They used the available medium to highcalcareous ferruginous illite clays and fired them at temperatures between 850° and 950° in an oxidizing atmosphere to produce the jars. Importing fine fabric jars and cooking pots during the seventh century from Jarash are indicated too. Thus, the types and forms of everyday use pottery were more affected by the political and religious changes than the technical aspects.

DFT Study of Chlorothalonil Adsorption on Illite Clay for Depollution

DFT Study of Chlorothalonil Adsorption on Illite Clay for Depollution

Diagenesis and reservoir quality evolution of estuarine sandstones: Insights from the Cenomanian-Turonian Yolde Formation, northern Benue Trough, NE Nigeria

Estuarine sandstones often exhibit complex diagenetic pathways due to the interaction of fluvial and shallow marine processes, resulting in significant reservoir heterogeneities. The Yolde Formation is an important petroleum reservoir in the Northern Benue Trough, NE Nigeria. However, diagenetic and reservoir quality evolution of the formation are still poorly understood. This study utilizes thin-section petrography, XRD, SEM, and fluid inclusion microthermometry to analyse the composition, diagenesis, and reservoir quality of the sandstones. Results show that the sandstones are mainly arkose and subarkose in composition; they are generally well-sorted and vary in grain size from very fine-to coarse-grained. Three diagenetic stages are identified: early, middle, and late. The early stage includes feldspar dissolution, formation of kaolinite, development of clay coating, and mechanical compaction. The middle stage comprises the formation of authigenic chlorite and Fe-oxide cements. The late-stage diagenesis involves illitization of kaolinite, formation of dickite, albitization of K-feldspar, and precipitation of quartz overgrowths. The diagenetic evolution of the sandstones was strongly controlled by their compositional makeup. The feldspathic nature of the sandstones resulted in the formation of kaolinite, illite, and quartz overgrowths, through feldspar dissolution and silica supply. The inner and middle estuarine facies have inhibited the development of quartz overgrowths due to well-developed clay coatings, whereas the outer estuarine facies were well-cemented by quartz overgrowths due to lack of clay coatings. Illitic clay coatings were found to be effective in preventing quartz cementation. Fluid inclusion analysis reveals that the formation temperatures of the quartz overgrowths range from 98 °C to 135.5 °C, corresponding to burial depths ranging between 2.3 and 3.5 km. These findings would provide useful insights that would reduce the risks of exploration of the sandstones and also supplies potential input data for forward diagenetic modelling of their subsurface equivalents in similar depositional settings elsewhere.

Synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of Illite clay - silica nanocomposite

Synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of Illite clay - silica nanocomposite

High performance illitic clay-based geopolymer: Influence of thermal/mechanical activation on strength development

The scientific community's interest in geopolymers keeps on growing under environmental and climate change pressures. Although most studies concern metakaolin or industrial by-products as aluminosilicate precursors, few are those concerning clay cuttings characterized by little or no kaolinite content. This study proposes a method to activate illitic clay in order to obtain a geopolymer with high mechanical performances. The tested illitic material contained 53 wt% of illite/muscovite, 22 wt% quartz, 7 wt% feldspars and low content of calcite. The innovation consists in coupling thermal and mechanical activations favoring both the clay dehydroxylation and the destruction of the clay crystalline structure. Such increase of amorphous rate in the precursor is required to make the material reactive. The evolution of the precursor material after activation was followed by ThermoGravimetric Analysis (TGA/DTG), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled to Energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX). The impact of the variations of the mechanical activation duration and ball:powder mass ratio (b:p) were mainly explored, as well as the Liquid:Solid mass ratio (L:S) which is a key parameter of the geopolymerization. Finally, an optimized geopolymer with a mechanical compressive strength reaching 126 MPa after 28 days has been manufactured with a grinding duration of 240 min, a b:p = 15 and a L:S = 0.5. The demonstration was done that a geopolymer can be manufactured from 100% illitic clay precursor, in addition to a relatively low amount of alkaline solution (L:S mass ratio of 0.5) then lowering the cost and the environment impact of the final geopolymer material. The resulting illitic clay based geopolymers can display very high mechanical resistance (compressive strength up to 126 MPa after 28 days), fully competitive with conventional building materials.

Thermal activation of illitic-kaolinitic mixed clays

The thermally activated clay minerals are well-known as perspective supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) able to reduce the Portland clinker consumption and thus also the related CO2 emissions. The best SCM performance among clay minerals is provided by thermally activated kaolin (metakaolin). Nevertheless, kaolinitic clays are not available everywhere, while varying mixed clays can be considered as globally affordable raw materials. The present work deals with the thermal activation of four illitic-kaolinitic clays with varied content of clay minerals, quartz and calcite, available locally in the Czech Republic. The attainment of activation was evaluated with the help of mechanical strength and the saturated lime test. There is no doubt that kaolin is the best clay for SCM production. However, the activation of mixed illitic-kaolinitic clays at 600 °C provided comparable and sufficient performance, despite that the crystal structure of illite was not completely decomposed. The non-clay minerals presence did not reduce the activity either; even the clay containing just about 50% of clay minerals (mostly illite) treated at 650 °C provided sufficient mechanical performance. As the drawback of activated illitic clays must be considered their higher sensitivity to the proper calcination temperature compared to metakaolin since illite (and other 2:1 clay minerals) does not form any metastable dehydroxylated phase.

Surface conductivity of clays

SUMMARY Clay minerals are extensively used in a wide range of applications. In particular, clay-bearing formations are considered as suitable radioactive waste repository. Electrical resistivity tomography is an appropriate tool to monitor the properties of clay-bearing locations. However, an inherent drawback of a conventional resistivity survey is its ambiguity in distinguishing between the effects of groundwater salinity, clay content and porosity. A discrimination can be achieved on the basis of the induced polarization method that provides a complex conductivity. The main purpose of this study is the investigation of the complex conductivity of clay samples with a special focus on the contribution of surface conductivity produced by an excess of ions in the electrical double-layer coating the solid particles. Six clay mixtures were selected that include an almost pure kaolinite sample, a sample consisting of a mixture of kaolinite, illite and smectite, a crushed saponite breccia, a Ca-bentonite sample and two illite clay samples. Besides the enriched kaolinite, the other samples are natural geomaterials that contain more than 40 weight per cent clay minerals. The mineralogical compositions of the samples were determined by quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis. The clay powder was mixed with a varying volume of sodium chloride solution to get plastic state clay samples with varying water content. The samples were investigated by the spectral induced polarization method in a frequency range between 1 mHz and 1 kHz. The resulting complex conductivity spectra indicate a decrease of the real part of the electrical conductivity with rising water content for the illite, bentonite and saponite breccia samples. The overall conductivity of these clay samples is dominated by their surface conductivity. In contrast, the electrical conductivity of kaolinite and kaolinite–illite mixture does not show any significant changes with the water content. For all samples, the imaginary part of electrical conductivity increases at low water content. The real part of the surface conductivity indicates a linear dependence on the volumetric clay content. The slope of this linear relationship can be used to distinguish the types of clay. The ratio between imaginary conductivity and surface conductivity, which decreases with increasing clay content, proves to be a suitable parameter that characterizes the connectivity of clay aggregates in the sample. The surface conductivity of the pure kaolinite sample has been determined in an additional multisalinity experiment. The resulting surface conductivity is in good agreement with the experiment of varying water content. The multisalinity experiment has shown that the resulting petrophysical parameters depend on the procedure of sample packing, which may lead to anisotropy. The effect of anisotropy is attributed to the alignment of the plate-like kaolinite particles in the course of the packing and consolidation procedure.

Research on the influence of mineral heterogeneity under different CO2 injection schemes in low permeability reservoirs

In the pursuit of sustainable oil and gas resource extraction, the innovative integration of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology has emerged as the most promising approach. During the CCUS process, intricate physicochemical interactions between the injected CO2, facilitated through various injection strategies (Water Alternative Gas: WAG/Continue Gas Injection: CGI) and the formation fluids and heterogeneous mineral assemblages within the reservoir trigger alterations in mineral structures, consequently impacting permeability and recovery factors, constituting a pivotal aspect. Precisely delineating and quantifying these interactions is paramount for optimizing process design and evaluating reservoir dynamics in the successful implementation of CCUS operations. This study has carried out qualitative and quantitative characterization of mineral heterogeneity, different pore types, and mineral combination characteristics from a low-permeability sandstone reservoir. Additionally, the effect on the physical properties of minerals from different development methods (WAG/CGI) was investigated using numerical simulation for CCUS applications. The results indicate that the saturated CO2 fluid selectively dissolves the potassium feldspar (orthoclase) in intergranular pores, while the intergranular pores are filled with illite and secondary precipitated clay minerals. It initially dissolves the sensitive mineral (ankerite) in the intergranular pores. The decrease of ankerite and increase of illite result from the prolonged contact period between saturated CO2 and minerals, which changes the mineral cementation to argillaceous type, thus affecting permeability in the context of CCUS. The spatial impact on reservoir physical properties depends on the spatial heterogeneity of the original sensitive minerals (ankerite, anorthite, illite, etc.) distributed in the study area. In the WAG scheme, the physicochemical interaction between saturated CO2 and reservoir minerals is more intense than in the CGI scheme for CCUS operations, significantly impacting cumulative production.

Collective effects on the settling of clay flocs

In this work a high-magnification digital video camera in combination with a settling column is used to study in a first part the influence of the amount of flocs transferred into the settling column on their settling velocity. In a second part, the setup was used to study the properties of flocs prepared at different clay concentrations but at same flocculant to clay ratio (2.5mgg−1). Illite clay was used and flocculated in a 1 L jar with an anionic polyacrylamide (flocculant). Results show that the average settling velocity of flocs is a function of the amount of transferred flocs. It was also found that floc size and settling velocity depend on clay concentration. This is attributed to the fast aggregation happening in the jar when flocculant and clay are mixed: at higher clay concentrations, larger flocs are created in the first minutes of the experiment, with low densities that prevent them from settling to the bottom of the jar.

Pore changes in an illitic clay during one-dimensional compression

Pore changes in an illitic clay during one-dimensional compression

Geochemistry of hydrothermal illitizations in Eocene Kösedağ magmatic rocks, Zara-Suşehri area, NE Sivas, East-Central Anatolia: Origin and age of alteration

The study area located at the periphery of the collision zone between the Eurasian plate (i.e. Pontides) and Tauride-Anatolide platform, NE of Sivas in the east-central Turkey, which is part of the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt. Mixed-layer illite-smectite (IS) and illite minerals are derived within the hydrothermal alteration zones with a few km2 surface areas (up to 30 km2) in Eocene volcanic and plutonic rocks. The representative IS and illite samples taken from plutonic- and volcanic-hosted alteration zones are investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), major and trace elements and OH isotope geochemistry and KAr dating methods. Different types of hydrothermal alterations, such as propylitic and phyllic alteration in the plutonic rocks and argillic alteration in the volcanic rocks were developed as a result of intrusion of Kösedağ Pluton (syenite) into Karataş Volcanics (basaltic trachy-andesite and trachyte) with relations of hot-hot contact. The main phyllosilicate/clay minerals are characterized by kaolinite and IS in volcanic-hosted argillic alteration zones, whereas IS and illite in plutonic-hosted phyllic zones. The ordering types (Reichweite) of IS and illites are represented by R1 IS (I = 65–80 % in IS) + R3 IS (I = 90 % in IS) in the volcanic-hosted rocks, and R3 IS (I = 90 % in IS) and illite (S = 3–5 %). Dioctahedral (d060 ≤ 1.500 Å) R3 IS and illites have 1 Md + 1 M and 1 Md + 1 M + 2 M1 polytypes, respectively. The major and trace elements such as TiO2, Fe2O3, MgO, Na2O, P2O5, Sc, V, Cu, Ge, Sr, Hf, Zr and Y increase in the volcanic-hosted IS, whereas SiO2, Al2O3, K2O, Pb, W, Mo, As, Sb, Rb and U in the plutonic-hosted IS and illites. The chondrite-normalized distributions of IS and illites present a great similarity to those of host rocks. The chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) concentrations are more enriched in the volcanic-hosted IS in comparison with the plutonic-hosted IS and illites having distinctive Eu negative anomaly, which indicate deriving from volcanic matrix and K-feldspar, respectively. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope data of illitic clays indicate that the hydrothermal fluids are originated from magmatic water. According to stable isotopes and fluid inclusion data, IS and illites were formed at the temperature conditions ~150 °C in volcanic-hosted argillic zone, whereas ~250 °C in plutonic-hosted phyllic zones. KAr dating of alunite, IS and illite minerals indicate that the hydrothermal alteration was started at 40.45 ± 1.28 Ma, almost 2 Ma after the Q-syenite intrusion, within the plutonic body as phyllic alteration stage, and continued up to 35.27 ± 2.81 Ma, with a duration of ~5 Ma, and finalized before the exhumation of the Kösedağ Pluton (28–30 Ma). The geochemical characteristics of IS and illites were controlled by host-rock, condition, origin, and ages of alterations and they can be used as an important tool for magmatic-hydrothermal systems.

Implications of the depositional and diagenetic attributes on the reservoir properties of the siliciclastic mangahewa formation, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand: Integrated petrographical and petrophysical studies

The siliciclastic Mangahewa reservoir in the Pohokura Gas Field presents a formidable challenge for gas exploration due to its diverse petrophysical properties. To address this challenge, our study employs a comprehensive approach integrating petrography and petrophysical analyses for core and well logging data. In the present study, we uncover an association of sandstone microfacies, in the key wells like Pohokura South-1, Pohokura-1, and Pohokura-2 wells, which change from fine to medium-grained subfeldsarenites to lithic feldsarenites microfacies. The petrographic investigation pinpoints the critical factors influencing the reservoir quality, including facies types, grain size, pore types, sedimentary structure, detrital clay content, and mineral composition. Both the primary intergranular and secondary dissolution pore spaces are responsible for the influential large intergranular pore volumes causing a superior reservoir quality. Mineral composition, influenced by the source and lithofacies, significantly impacts the reservoir properties. Diagenetic processes further control the reservoir quality, where the abundant silica cement, the illitic clays, and the rare pervasive carbonate cementation render the low reservoir quality. Compaction significantly reduces porosity during diagenesis. High-quality reservoir sandstones are characterized by coarse grain size, minimal detrital clay presence, predominantly quartz composition, limited carbonate and moderate silica cementation, low authigenic illite levels, and minor compaction impact. Based on the petrophysical data, the Mangahewa reservoir is composed of five RRTs (reservoir rock types) with the RRT1 samples having the best reservoir characteristics due to their fair porosity, very good permeability, and macro pore sizes. On the other side, the RRT5 samples are characterized by the lowest reservoir quality (poor porosity and permeability and micropore sizes) due to cementation and compaction. Our study provides valuable insights into the intricate petrophysical properties of the Mangahewa reservoir, enhancing the predictability of the reservoir behavior and optimizing hydrocarbon production in this challenging geological setting.

Sedimentation kinetics of kaolinitic and illitic clay: Impact of cation valence, ionic concentration, and water content

Investigating the sedimentation of clay in saline water was extensively studied because of its wide applications in engineering. This study investigated the impact of cation valence, ionic concentration, and water content on sedimentation behavior of kaolinitic and illitic clays through batch sedimentation tests for the comprehensive understanding of clay particle association and elapsed time for the transition of settling regimes from initial hindered settling to zone settling. The quantitative representation of observed settling curves was achieved using four fitted parameters in batch sedimentation model, which represented the shape of settling curves and the boundary of the initial hindered, zone, and consolidation settling regimes. In addition, the obtained settling velocity from the settling curves provided the fraction of clay particles and the size of clay flocs. The observed settling curves, trends of fitted parameters, and the estimated size of clay flocs shown in this study implied that the type of clay particle association (face-to-face aggregation or edge-to-face flocculation), settling velocity, final interface height, and boundary between initial hindered and zone settling are function of clay mineralogy, water content, cation valence, and ionic concentration.

Characterization of an abundant illitic clay from the Safi region in Morocco and its exploitation in the treatment of industrial effluents loaded with synthetic dyes

The objective of this work is to valorize abundant illitic clay from Morocco in the treatment of industrial effluents likely to be loaded with synthetic dyes such as the textile, stationery, cosmetic, food, and also pharmaceutical industries. The penitential adsorbing of two dyes: methylene blue (BM) and malachite green (GM) was studied on this clay. Firstly, this clay was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and X-ray fluorescence analysis. And on the other hand, Effect of different parameters on adsorption kinetics has been studied, such as contact time, initial dye concentration, pH, salinity and temperature. Adsorption tests results showed that equilibrium was established after 30 min and the adsorption of the two dyes depends on the initial dye concentration and the pH. The results showed was the adsorption of the two dyes can be described by pseudo-second-order kinetics. The results indicate also that the process is a spontaneous endothermic physisorption characterized by disorder of the environment. This study shows that this raw, abundant and low-cost natural illitic clay can be valorized and exploited to treat effluents loaded with synthetic dyes.

Atterberg limits of baseball infield soils containing over-size particles, Part II: effects of sand angularity and uniformity

Context Atterberg limit tests may be useful for evaluating baseball infield soils because these tests directly link soil behaviour to water content. Prior research has demonstrated that the liquid and plastic limits (LL and PL) of sand-clay mixtures are affected by sand properties. However, these studies have used sand exclusively <425 μm and little attention has been devoted to sand angularity or sand-size uniformity. Aims This research tested the effects of sand angularity and sand-size uniformity on the Atterberg limits of infield mixes containing 0–80% sand with much of the sand 425–2000 μm. Methods Experiment 1 compared the effect of mixing angular or round sand of equivalent size with a kaolinitic clay. Experiment 2 compared the effect of mixing one of two sands having a similar average particle size but varying uniformity with an illitic clay. Key results For mixes having equivalent sand content and sand size, the shape of the sand particles did not affect LL (P = 0.47) or PL (P = 0.80). Mixtures with non-uniform sand yielded higher LL than those with uniform sand (mean difference ~0.6% water content g g−1). The mixtures with non-uniform sand also remained plastic at higher sand content (~72.5%) than mixtures with uniform sand (~67.5%). Calculated threshold sand contents for the two sets of mixtures agreed closely with the experiments. Conclusions Sand angularity was shown to be unimportant in this context. When average particle size was held constant, sand uniformity affected the LL water content and the sand content corresponding to a transition between plastic and non-plastic behaviour. Implications This research suggests that baseball field managers need not consider the angularity of sand in an infield mix but should be aware of the uniformity of the sand used to produce the mix as this may influence the mixture’s plasticity.

Enhancing reactivity in muscovitic clays: Mechanical activation as a sustainable alternative to thermal activation for cement production

The use of calcined clays in the construction industry is thriving. However, muscovitic or illitic clays, which constitute a large portion of the available clay resources, are hardly activated by thermal processes. This work aims to enhance the reactivity of raw muscovitic clay through mechanical activation. Various combinations of milling time and rotation speed were evaluated. The results confirmed that a highly amorphous material was obtained through mechanical activation, while thermal activation led to muscovite dehydroxylation without inducing amorphisation, resulting in the formation of crystalline dehydroxylated muscovite. The reactivity of the activated clays as a potential precursor for cement production was assessed through pozzolanic activity measurements and Si and Al potential availability. Both confirmed that mechanically activated muscovitic clay presented significantly higher reactivity than calcined muscovitic clay, obtaining an excellent pozzolanic material or an alternative cement precursor. Accordingly, mechanical activation of muscovitic clays could effectively introduce these types of clay in the cement industry.

Influence of mineral composition and firing temperature on the micro- and mesoporosity of replicate archaeological ceramics

Abstract The role of micro- and mesopores of archaeological ceramics in preserving ancient biomolecules is not well established. To understand the formation of these nano-sized pores in ceramics, reference pottery briquettes were made using two different clay types (illitic and kaolinitic clays), two different tempers (sand and chalk), and two different firing temperatures (600 and 800°C). The mineral content of the briquettes was determined by quantitative X-ray diffraction, and the micro- and mesopores were characterized with the N2 adsorption method. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, the adsorbed volume near liquefaction, and application of non-local density functional theory (NLDFT) were used on the N2 adsorption data to determine specific surface areas, specific pore volumes, and pore-size distributions. Values of the micro- and mesoporosity parameters of most of the briquettes were approximately proportional to the initial clay content and unrelated to temper; the proportionality factors were much larger for illitic clay than for kaolinitic clay. When chalk-tempered briquettes were fired at the higher firing temperature of 800°C, the parameters were no longer proportional to the initial clay content; they decreased in most briquettes formed of illitic clay due to reaction of the clay with lime, and they increased in briquettes formed of kaolinitic clay due mostly to the porosity of unreacted lime. Micropore volumes in briquettes formed mostly of illitic clay were substantial: of the order of 5 mm3 g−1. The work presented here forms a basis for future studies to establish a plausible mechanism of organic residue absorption and preservation in ancient ceramics.