In order to contribute to the enhancement of local materials, Aklakou clays taken from the quarry and used for pottery have been characterized from a physicochemical and mineralogical point of view. Thus, the samples taken from the quarry were subjected to chemical and mineralogical analyzes. Several qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques were used (chemical analysis, thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction and analysis by I.R. spectroscopy). These results demonstrated the richness of this quartz clay, resulting in a high proportion of silica (77.62%). This study was therefore essential before any application of this type of clay in the formulation of aggregates and pottery products or even ceramics in the broad sense. We can therefore conclude that the clays mined at the Aklakou quarry are very favorable materials for formulations of pottery products and in other fields such as the formulation of light aggregates.

Geopolymers are an alternative to Portland cement, well known for their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Finding materials that can validly replace Portland cement is a challenge. It is in this logic that this work was undertaken with the objective of characterizing two local clay resources of Togo as raw materials for geopolymers. The physico-chemical properties of these clays were determined by characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric (TGA) and elemental analysis (ICP-OES). The results show that these clays contain kaolinite and therefore can be used in the formulation of geopolymers. The characterized clays underwent heat treatments transforming the crystalline phases into more reactive amorphous phases and then were activated by an alkaline solution in order to formulate the geopolymer materials. These elaborated materials were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared to identify the types of bonds formed. The results of these analyses show that these two local clays are well suited to be used in synthesizing geopolymers. Our future work will focus on the constraints of consolidation as well as the mechanical properties of these geopolymer materials.