Preparing and Characterising Cockle Shells

Cockle Shells Powder Preparation

By Kh. Nurul Islam.

1. Wash approximately 500g cockle shells, scrub to remove dirt, boil for 10 minutes and cool at room temperature

2. Wash thoroughly using distilled water and dried in oven (Memmert UM500, GmbH Co, Germany) for 7 days at 50oC

3. Ground the cockle shells using blender/grinder (Blendor, HCB 550, USA)

4. Sieve the powders using stainless laboratory test sieve with varies apertures to get size variation in micron.

5. Dry the powders again in oven for 10 hours to prepare it for grinding.

6. Ground the powders, reducing their diameter using mortar and pestle (AgateTop diameter 90mm)

7. Dry the powders again in oven at 50oC for 7 days and packed in polyethylene plastic bag.

8. For comparison. Dry the commercial calcium carbonate for 7 days in 50oC oven.

Target sizes for Calcium Carbonate.

Range: 50m to 200m.

Characterising Calcium Carbonate

Morphological:

Using Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (VPSEM) or Using Transmission Electron Microscope

Terminal Velocity Test:

Conducted in 3 different base ie: Sarapar 147, Saraline 185V and Water

Elemental Presence in Cockle Shells:

Using ICPMS or X-Ray Fluorescence(Bruker S4 Pioneer) (Mustakimah) and X-Ray Diffraction (Bruker d8 Advance)

Particle Size Analysis:

Using Particle Size Analyser to observe particle size distribution.

Equipment List

Type of Equipment/Test

Name of the Equipment

Remarks

Microscope

Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (VPSEM)

Transmission Electron Microscope

Blender

Blendor, HCB 550, USA

Grinder

Rocklab Grinder

Mortar & Pastle

AgateTop diameter 90mm

Size Gradation

Sieve (50m to 200m)

Particle Size Analyzer

PSA (Malvern Masterizer)

Elemental Analysis

ICPMS

XRF

XRD