E. R. ESSIEN ET AL.
980
economic route using a Nigerian clay. Results obtained
from FTIR, XRD and SEM characterization showed that
the material possessed properties comparable to silica
obtained from commercial sodium metasilicate prepared
under the same conditions. It is therefore concluded that
clay which is cheap and widely available in Ekiti State,
Nigeria may be a potential starting material for commer-
cial scale preparation of porous silica.
6. Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Central Research Labo-
ratory, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria for
their assistance in carrying out this project.
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