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ZIRCONIA-INTERCALATED KAOLINITE: SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND EVALUATION OF METAL-ION REMOVAL ACTIVITY

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Clays and Clay Minerals

Abstract

The intercalation of kaolinite through the insertion of ions or molecules amongst the structural aluminosilicate layers is a vital process in numerous clay-based applications and products. Layer neutrality and hydrogen bonding limits direct intercalation into kaolinite, other than for small molecules. Synthesizing zirconia-intercalated kaolinite is not a straightforward matter. To overcome this barrier, raw Egyptian kaolin (UnK) or its acid-activated product (HK) was sonicated and impregnated in aqueous ZrOCl2·8H2O solution followed by thermal treatment at various temperatures (100, 200, 300, and 500°C). The intercalation process was confirmed using various spectroscopic and analytical techniques. The direct intercalation of ZrO2 into the kaolinite layers was observed even through a mild thermal treatment (100, 200, and 300°C). The mechanism of intercalation was suggested to occur by binding ZrO2 to the Si/AlO groups with a preference for the acid-activated HK, causing variable enlargements of the basal spacing and producing very perturbed layers. Interestingly, the surface area increased by 250% as a result of zirconia intercalation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed a remarkable improvement in the stacking order of the kaolinite particles. The impact of ZrO2 intercalation into kaolinite also enhanced its adsorption efficiency for Pb2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+ ions. Preliminary investigations showed that the zirconia-intercalated HK demonstrated a removal efficiency, which is three times greater than that of pristine HK. The adsorption tendency toward Pb2+ ions was greater than those of Cu2+ and Cd2+ and followed the order: Pb2+ >> Cu2+ > Cd2+. The study suggests that the chemical modification of kaolin by zirconia via a direct intercalation technique, which greatly improves its functionality as demonstrated by the selective sorption of heavy metal ions, is worthy of further study.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to the Editor in Chief and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive criticism and valuable comments which helped to improve the manuscript. The authors are also grateful to the National Research Centre, Egypt, for partial financial support of this study via project No AR110903.

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Funding sources are as stated in the Acknowledgments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Inorganic Chemistry, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth st. (former Eltahrir st.), Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt

    Khaled S. Abou-El-Sherbini, Mohammed A. Wahba, Elsayed A. Drweesh & Eman A. M. Elzahany

  2. Geological Sciences Department, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth st. (former Eltahrir st.), Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt

    Adel I. M. Akarish

  3. Department of Catalysis, Petroleum Refining Division, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt

    Seham A. Shaban

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  1. Khaled S. Abou-El-Sherbini
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  2. Mohammed A. Wahba
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  3. Elsayed A. Drweesh
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  4. Adel I. M. Akarish
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Correspondence to Khaled S. Abou-El-Sherbini.

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Abou-El-Sherbini, K.S., Wahba, M.A., Drweesh, E.A. et al. ZIRCONIA-INTERCALATED KAOLINITE: SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND EVALUATION OF METAL-ION REMOVAL ACTIVITY. Clays Clay Miner. 69, 463–476 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42860-021-00134-9

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