BASALT RESOURCES IN LOPBURI PROVINCE: A POTENTIAL RAW MATERIAL FOR BASALT FIBER PRODUCTION

Apart from a good host of ruby and sapphire, basalts and basaltic rocks can be used for other purposes, especially as producing construction material and making basalt fibers. Basalt has been widely used as concrete aggregate, pavement aggregate, railroad ballast and dimension stone. Not only these conventional applications, but also high quality fiber can be drawn from molten basalt with outstanding mechanical and chemical advantages comparing to hazardous asbestos fiber. Having higher strength and more stable in alkalinity than E-glass, basalt fiber is cheaper than the high-strength-low-density carbon fiber. With high thermal and abrasion resistance, basalt fiber could replace asbestos in various usages. Although all basalt can be used to make fiber, its quality depends largely on mineralogy, chemical composition and recrystallization behaviors of basaltic melts. The aim of this research is to evaluate the suitability of basalt resources in Lopburi Province, Thailand for making basalt fiber. Integrated results of petrological analysis, mineralogical and geochemical investigation as well as basalt melts’ characterization are presented in this research to delineate the suitability of the basalt resources for producing fiber. The complex geological evolution in central Thailand introduced very high variations of basalt composition and genesis. In some occurrences, basalt found highly altered due to the flow of basaltic lava over pre-existing rhyolitic layer, making it more sensitive to weathering. Meanwhile, some basalt deposits might be metamorphosed through which it makes changes in mineral and chemical compositions. However, fresh basalt to andesitic basalt was also found in some areas, which might be suitable for making fiber due to its unchanged mineralogical and chemical composition. Covering approximately one fourth of the total area of the province, Lopburi basaltic rocks are situated fairly close to a number of industrial zones, where are very advantageous for basalt fiber production.