Synthesis and characterization of wollastonite produced from Malaysian limestone and silica sand

Abstract

Wollastonite was synthesised via solid state reaction using Malaysian limestone and silica sand as the raw materials. It was synthesised at 1100oC, 1200oC, 1300oC, 1400oC and 1450oC. The products obtained were characterized using X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) for phase identification, pycnometer for density measurement and wet chemical analysis for CaO and SiO2 content. Experimental results indicated that wollastonite was produced at 1450oC with pseudowollastonite as the major phase, having density of 2.93 gcm-3, chemical content of 48.71% CaO and 50.88% SiO2. This study showed that wollastonite could be synthesised from Malaysian limestone and silica sand.