The applications of various clayey minerals are related to their structural, physical and chemical characteristics. The physical and chemical properties of the clayey minerals dictate their utilization in the process industries and beneficiation required before usage. The study aimed at establishing the potentiality of clayey minerals from the study area, and the possibility of exploring and exploiting them in order to spur industrial development and promote economic self reliance of Kenya as a nation. The plasticity, particle size, surface area, chemical and mineralogy composition, morphological, thermal analysis and other physical properties were studied using various techniques. The clay samples composed of albite (5-16.7%), kaolinite (11.4-36.2%), microcline (15.2-35.3%), quartz (24.3-68.1%), hornblende (7.6% in samples from Ngamwa only), and other mineral impurities in small amounts. Ngamwa clayey materials consist of high impurities of chemical oxides such as TiO 2 , MnO, MgO and Fe 2 O 3. Generally, quartz and iron were the major impurities present in the samples from the concerned sites. The findings shows that clayey minerals from the study area can be exploited for commercial production of ceramic products after beneficiation using low cost and environmental friendly techniques in order to reduce the levels of iron, quartz, and other impurities to acceptable levels.

Clay samples from Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya were characterized by hydrometer, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), TGA, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and powder diffraction (XRD) methods. The F-test and t-test were used to interpret the results. The major oxides present were Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 and the minor ones were CaO, TiO 2 , MnO, Fe 2 O 3 , K 2 O, MgO and Na 2 O. The values of SiO 2 were greater than those of Al 2 O 3 , indicating that the samples were of clay minerals. The clay minerals with low cation exchange capacity (CEC) were present in the samples. The Atterberg limits showed that the inorganic clays of either low or intermediate plasticity having low contents of organic matter were present in the samples. The analysis further showed the availability of essential elements necessary for plant growth. The TGA analysis indicated that the decomposition of clay samples occurred in four steps. The scanning electron microscope photographs revealed that the samples contained a mixture of minerals of morphologies with crystallinity, high porosity and unstable under the electron beam. The major impurity in the clay is quartz, ranging from 22.6-31.9%. Albite is the most dominant component in the clay minerals contributing to 30.3 to 44.1%. The clay from the study area can be used as agro mineral additive to enhance soil fertility for crop production, a fluxing agent in ceramics and glass applications and also as functional fillers in the paint, plastic, rubber and adhesive industries after beneficiation.

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