REVIEW ON REFRACTORY MATERIALS FOR FURNACES PRODUCED FROM DIFFERENT LOCALLY SOURCED CLAY SITES IN NIGERIA

Refractories are ceramic materials used in high temperature applications, often above 1100oC. These materials find application in reactors, kilns, ovens, and furnace linings. Serious need for refractory materials is consistently increasing so as to accommodate ongoing development of industries and factories. Local clays are currently under investigation in order to address insufficient availability of refractory materials. Although the geomorphology of various locations where deposits of clay are found has been examined, comparatively little work has been done to fully evaluate these deposits to ascertain their suitability for use. This paper includes a review of refractories produced from locally sourced clay deposits in Nigeria followed by an evaluation of their applicability for furnace lining. Generally, most of the findings indicated that the local clay has excellent physical and chemical properties for refractories, however local manufacturing of refractories has been very low hence the nation still depends largely on imported refractories. Adequate funding for local manufacturing of refractories would be needed so as to access and explore the numerous clay deposits, thereby reducing import and maximize local production.