Composition, Structure and Properties of Vermiculite from the Tebinbulok Deposit in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan
Jabbarbergenov Madiyar Jollibayevich
*
Karakalpak State University Named After Berdakh, Nukus, Uzbekistan.
Madenov Berdimurat Dauletmuratovich
Karakalpak State University Named After Berdakh, Nukus, Uzbekistan.
Abdurasul Abdumalikovich Mamataliev
Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Shafaat Sattarovich Namazov
Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
In this research, the chemical composition and physicochemical properties of vermiculite from the Tebinbulak deposit, located in the Karauzyak district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, were comprehensively investigated. The analyses conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) revealed that the studied vermiculite belongs to the class of layered magnesium–aluminum and magnesium–iron aluminosilicates. The crystal structure of the mineral contains interlayer water molecules, which contribute to its distinctive physicochemical behavior. Owing to its broad range of applications—including in construction, the food and chemical industries, oil and gas extraction, nuclear energy, environmental protection, metallurgy, mechanical engineering, railway car manufacturing, shipbuilding, mining, and agriculture—the industrial relevance and economic value of vermiculite are steadily increasing.
Keywords: Vermiculite, Tebinbulak deposit, Karakalpakstan, X-ray diffraction, SEM, EDS, magnesium fertilizer, physicochemical