Phyllites used as waterproofing layer materials for greenhouses crops in Spain: multivariate statistical analysis applied to their classification based on X-ray fluorescence analysis

The results are presented for the chemical characterization carried out with 53 raw material samples with phyllosilicates from outcrops located between the provinces of Almeria and Granada (SE Spain) in order to use them as waterproof layers under the floors of greenhouses. For this purpose, the samples have been studied by these techniques: X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (WDXRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), chemical analysis by energy-dispersive X-Ray detection (EDX), and thermogravimetry. To isolate groups of phyllite samples with similar chemical profiles and correlations between the samples, the WDXRF data (11 chemical elements) have been processed using the methodology of exploratory multivariate statistical analyses: cluster analysis, main-component analysis, and discriminating canon analysis. This study was performed as a screening test and as a means of finding similarities and correlations among all 53 phyllite samples, allowing the isolation of groups of phyllite samples with similar chemical profiles. The results indicate that the 53 phyllite samples can be divided into two main groups. The first group is subdivided into two subgroups (1 and 2), one of which includes most of the samples. The latter is further classified into three blocks with the same chemical composition. This allows to search for the raw material with potentially the best waterproof characteristics within the five groups. The classification is of validity as a screening test for subsequent experimental determinations concerning the physical properties of these samples. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.