Beneficiamento, caracterização e pilarização de argilas naturais brasileiras

Abstract

Four clays from deposits located in the northern state of Paraiba, Brazil, were processed in order to decrease the amount of impurities naturally presented in these materials. Later these materials were characterized along with a commercial natural clay sample and subjected to a pillaring procedure with aluminum polihidroxide. By X-ray diffraction, it was noted that the benefit samples (CN Clara, CN Cinza, Bofe and FCN) showed a basal spacing of approximately 1.5 nm, while the natural commercial sample showed a value of approximately 1.3 nm, after pillaring these values were ~ 1.7 nm for the benefits sample and ~ 1.8 nm for the commercial sample. The sample Bofe showed a value of 126 m2/g of specific area, which is the highest value found among natural samples, commercial natural sample showed a value of 27 m2/g being the smallest value. After pillarization the sample that showed the highest specific area was the AP01 sample (pillared from commercial natural sample), with a value of 248 m2/g while the AP05 sample (pillared from FCN sample) had the lowest value being 177 m2/g. Thus it is seen that the determination of the characteristics of natural clays and its origin influence the results obtained through the pillaring procedure.