ANALYTICAL DETERMINATION OF CLAY CONTENT IN MARMARA REGION SANDS USING GRAVIMETRIC, XRD AND FTIR METHODS

In this study, sand samples obtained from various suppliers in the Marmara Region were analytically evaluated to determine their clay content and mineralogical composition for potential use in construction chemical formulations. A gravimetric method was applied to separate quartz, feldspar and clay fractions, while phase identification and quantitative mineralogical analysis were performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) supported by the Rietveld refinement method. The presence and relative amount of clay minerals were further assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), focusing on shifts in the Si–O stretching vibration near 1000 cm⁻¹ and the Al–OH stretching band around 3600 cm⁻¹. The analyses showed that sand samples from Arnavutköy contained relatively low clay impurities, whereas Çerkezköy samples exhibited higher levels of clay and feldspar. The results demonstrate that the combined use of gravimetric analysis, XRD and FTIR provides a reliable analytical approach for determining low-level clay content in sand and supports the evaluation of raw material suitability for cement-based construction chemicals.