INFLUENCE OF SYNTHESIS PARAMETERS ON MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF ALUMINUM(III)-PILLARED BENTONITES

Abstract

Al-pillared interlayered clays (Al-PILCs) have been prepared from Romanian natural calcium bentonite (Orasu Nou deposit) and the effect of some parameters on the morphological properties has been investigated. The synthesis of Al-pillared bentonite consists in the following five steps: bentonite purification, ionic exchange of bentonite with Cu(II) ions, preparation of pillaring agent, intercalation of ionic exchanged bentonite with pillaring agent and calcination. The pillared clays present a rigid structure, a high thermal stability given by the oxido-metallic pillars formed after calcination. The raw material and the obtained nanomaterials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The intercalation of the Al-polyhydroxocations into the interlayer of montmorillonite strongly modified the morphology of the Al-PILCs. The material with the best characteristics will be chosen in the aim of its using in liquid effluents remediation.

Keywords

• Al(III)-pillaring
• calcination
• calcium bentonite
• SEM-EDX
• TEM