Applied Mineralogy

Laboratory Staff

Prof. Michail Galetakis
Director | (+30) 2821037616 | mgaletakis<at>tuc.gr

Dr. Antonios Stratakis
Laboratory Teaching Staff | (+30) 2821037607 | astratakis<at>mred.tuc.gr
Mineral Resources Engineer, MSc, PhD.

Laboratory Objective

• Mineralogical and chemical analyses of:
  1. Rocks, ores, minerals, soils and other solid materials (such as cements, mortars, ceramics and other industrial raw materials, industrial products such as building ceramics, etc).
  2. By-products or wastes from metallurgical processes or industrial processing (slag, fly ash, etc.)
  3. Inorganic components of lignites and their correlation with problems that occur in the operation of steam power plants.
  4. Fly Ash produced from the combustion of lignite in steam power plants and correlation of ash composition with environmental problems.
• Investigation of physicochemical and technological properties:
  1. Determination of physicochemical and technological properties of industrial minerals and rocks, such as clays, bentonites, perlites etc.
  2. Analysis of microstructure (phases, texture, etc.) of materials produced by the transformation of raw materials in the industrial process of production of ceramics, cement, refractories and other industrial processing of mineral raw materials.
  3. Determination of melting temperatures of solid materials (lignite ash, biomass, organic residues, etc.)

Infrastructure

• Automatic X-ray diffraction system (XRD) D8-Advance BrukerAXS
• Digital microhardness tester for VICKERS and KNOOP testing
• Heating microscope for determining the thermal behaviour (up to 1500^oC).
• Polarized and metallographic Microscope
• Stereoscope
• Archimedes porosity measurement system
• Devices for fractional separation of sediment, granules, soils, etc.
• Crushing and grinding equipment to prepare samples for mineralogical analyses (e.g. Micronizing mill)
• Laboratory oven up to 250^oC
• Laboratory furnaces with controller up to 1250^oC
• Three-point bending tester in specimen of ceramic masses, ceramic products, etc.
• Devices for determining the specific gravity and apparent density of mineral raw materials
• Abrasion tester
• Auxiliary equipment (balances, ultrasonic bath, etc.)

Research and Development Projects

• Study & evaluation of feldspar deposits in the areas of Drama and Evros.
• Composition and technological uses of lignite ash of Thermal Power Plants of PPC in the Ptolemaida-Amyntaio Area.
• Mineralogy study of enrichment of galena and sphalerite of Olympias and Stratoni, Halkidiki.
• Mineralogy study of pyrite-arsenopyrite concentrate of Olympias, Halkidiki.
• Study of the properties and evaluation of the possibilities of using clays of Crete to produce structural ceramics (PEP CRETE 1994-1999).
• Mineralogical study of samples of lignite, ash and boiler slags.
• Mineralogical examination of slag samples of boiler III in Megalopolis Power Plant.
• Determination of the mineralogical composition of the powder produced during the processing of perlite in the facilities of the company "AEGEAN PEARLITE" on the Gyali island.
• Study of the lignite ash composition of PPC Power Plants.
• Mineralological analysis of by-products and residues of lignite from Thermal Plants as well as the sintering products with X-ray diffraction (XRD).
• Mineralogical investigation of iron occurrences in West-Crete, Greece.
• Mineralogical and chemical characterization of solid fuels.
• Determination of Ash Fusion Temperatures of lignitic ashes.
• Mineralogical investigation of lateritic iron ores.
• Determination of Ash Fusion Temperatures of organic residues and biomass
• Investigation of mineralogical composition of soil and mortar samples in technical projects.