MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RIVER BED SOIL FROM TAMILNADU BY FT-IR, XRD AND SEM/EDAX

River bed soil collected from Suruli Theertham, Theni District, Tamilnadu, India was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDAX) techniques. FT-IR analysis revealed the presence of various functional groups of Si-O, Al-OH, Al-O, Si-O-Al bands which influence the adsorption process. Identification and estimation of mineralogical composition were carried out by XRD. XRD patterns indicate the presence of silicon dioxide and aluminium oxide in major quantities. SEM analysis showed the platy flakes and spongy structure of silica and alumina. Elemental analysis (EDAX) confirmed the presence of Si (20.66 %) in large quantities than the other oxides such as Al (9.76 %), Fe (6.52 %), Ca (3.05 %), Mg (0.59 %), Mn (0.14 %), Na (3.33 %), K (3.66 %) and phosphorous (0.02 %).