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Application and Modification of Clay Minerals
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Application and Modification of Clay Minerals

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2024 | Viewed by 4391

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gang Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environment & Chongqing Key Laboratory of Soil Multi-scale Interfacial Process, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: interfacial adsorption and reaction; catalysis; clay minerals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Clay minerals are a group of minerals that are ubiquitously found in soils, sediments, and rocks. Natural clay minerals are scavengers for heavy metals and organic contaminants, and catalysts for reactions such as the degradation of organic contaminants, oil and gas formation, and the condensation of amino acids. Modification and oriented synthesis broaden the applications of clay minerals and also enhance their adsorption and catalytic performances. Overall, clay minerals have a wide range of applications and can be modified to suit specific needs in various engineering and industrial processes. Their unique properties make them valuable materials for a variety of purposes.

This Special Issue of the journal Materials, entitled “Application and Modification of Clay Minerals”, focuses on recent advances in the application of modified and synthesized clay minerals in environmental, catalytic, engineering, pharmaceutical and other fields. As the Guest Editor of this Special Issue, I am inviting you to contribute your work on clay mineral materials to this Special Issue, whose scope includes, but is not limited to, the following topics: the modification/synthesis of clay mineral materials, and the adsorption/catalysis/characterization of clay mineral materials.

Your contributions are highly appreciated.

Dr. Gang Yang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adsorption
  • catalysis
  • characterization
  • modeling
  • modification
  • synthesis

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 5281 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Mesoporous Analcime/Sodalite Composite from Natural Jordanian Kaolin
by Muayad Esaifan, Fayiz Al Daboubi and Mohammed Khair Hourani
Materials 2024, 17(19), 4698; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17194698 - 25 Sep 2024
Viewed by 397
Abstract
In this work, a meso-macroporous analcime/sodalite zeolite composite was produced by a hybrid synthesis process between a complex template method and hydrothermal treatment at 220 °C of naturally abundant kaolinitic-rich clay, using dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide as an organic soft template to enhance the mesoporous [...] Read more.
In this work, a meso-macroporous analcime/sodalite zeolite composite was produced by a hybrid synthesis process between a complex template method and hydrothermal treatment at 220 °C of naturally abundant kaolinitic-rich clay, using dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide as an organic soft template to enhance the mesoporous structure. The chemical and morphological properties of the developed zeolites composite were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), attenuated total Reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N2 adsorption/desorption; and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) methods were used to study the morphology, chemical composition and structure of the product. Two types of zeolite particles were obtained:(1) hollow microsphere with an attached analcime icositetrahedron of 30–40 µm in size and (2) sodalite microsphere with a ball-like morphology of 3–4 µm in size. Both N2 adsorption/desorption and surface area data confirmed the high potentiality of the produced zeolite composite to act as an excellent adsorbent to remove inorganic pollutants such as Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, and Pb ions, organic pollutants such as dyes, phenolic compounds, and surfactants from water; and their high catalytic activity, especially in the oxidation reaction of volatile organic compounds. The catalytic activity and adsorption ability of the produced analcime/sodalite composite will be tested experimentally in future work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Modification of Clay Minerals)
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19 pages, 8814 KiB  
Article
A Lab-Scale Evaluation of Parameters Influencing the Mechanical Activation of Kaolin Using the Design of Experiments
by Jofre Mañosa, Adrian Alvarez-Coscojuela, Alex Maldonado-Alameda and Josep Maria Chimenos
Materials 2024, 17(18), 4651; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17184651 - 23 Sep 2024
Viewed by 611
Abstract
This research investigates the mechanical activation of kaolin as a supplementary cementitious material at the laboratory scale, aiming to optimize milling parameters using the response surface methodology. The study evaluated the effects of rotation speed and milling time on the amorphous phase content, [...] Read more.
This research investigates the mechanical activation of kaolin as a supplementary cementitious material at the laboratory scale, aiming to optimize milling parameters using the response surface methodology. The study evaluated the effects of rotation speed and milling time on the amorphous phase content, the reduction in crystalline kaolinite, and impurity incorporation into the activated clay through the Rietveld method. The results demonstrated that adjusting milling parameters effectively enhanced clay activation, which is crucial for its use in low-carbon cements. High rotation speeds (300/350 rpm) and prolonged grinding times (90/120 min) in a planetary ball mill increased the pozzolanic activity by boosting the formation of amorphous phases from kaolinite and illite and reducing the particle size. However, the results evidenced that intermediate milling parameters are sufficient for reaching substantial degrees of amorphization and pozzolanic activity, avoiding the need for intensive grinding. Exceedingly aggressive milling introduced impurities like ZrO2 from the milling equipment wear, underscoring the need for a balanced approach to optimizing reactivity while minimizing impurities, energy consumption, and equipment wear. Achieving this balance is essential for efficient mechanical activation, ensuring the prepared clay’s suitability as supplementary cementitious materials without excessive costs or compromised equipment integrity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Modification of Clay Minerals)
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22 pages, 14976 KiB  
Article
Effect of Chlorine Salt Content on the Microstructural Development of C-S-H Gels and Ca(OH)2 at Different Curing Temperatures
by Wenjie Qi, Zhisheng Fang, Shiyi Zhang, Yingfang Fan, Surendra P. Shah and Junjie Zheng
Materials 2024, 17(18), 4460; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17184460 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 386
Abstract
Freshwater resources are scarce in coastal areas, and using seawater as mixing water can alleviate the scarcity of freshwater resources. However, the presence of chloride ions in seawater affects the generation of hydration products and the durability of concrete structures. In order to [...] Read more.
Freshwater resources are scarce in coastal areas, and using seawater as mixing water can alleviate the scarcity of freshwater resources. However, the presence of chloride ions in seawater affects the generation of hydration products and the durability of concrete structures. In order to investigate the effect of hydrated calcium silicate (C-S-H) gel and calcium hydroxide (CH) generation in seawater-mixed cement pastes under 50 °C curing, their microscopic morphology was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The relationship between the amount of C-S-H gel and CH production and the amount of chloride ion dosing, fly ash dosing, and the age of curing were investigated. The degree of influence between hydration products and influencing factors was analyzed using the grey correlation analysis. It was shown that 50 °C curing promoted the hydration reaction and generated more hydration products compared with ASTM standard. The content of C-S-H gel and CH increased with chloride dosage. The content of C-S-H gel increased by 13.5% under 50 °C curing compared with the control group at a chloride dosage of 1.3%. Fly ash is rich in active SiO2 and AI2O3, and other components, which can react with Ca(OH)2 generated by cement hydration and then generate C-S-H gel. With the increase of fly ash, the content of C-S-H gel also increases, but the CH content decreases. When 25% of fly ash was doped under 50 °C curing, the C-S-H gel content increased by 5.02% compared to the control group. The CH content decreased by 31.8% compared to the control group. With the growth of the maintenance age, the hydration reaction continues, the generation of C-S-H gel and CH will continue to increase, and their microstructures will become denser. C-S-H gel and CH content increased the most by raising the curing temperature at 7 days of curing, increasing by 10.11% and 22.62%, respectively. C-S-H gel and CH content had the highest gray relation with fly ash dosing. Chloride dosage and age of maintenance had the highest correlation with CH content at room temperature maintenance of 0.788 and 0.753, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Modification of Clay Minerals)
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16 pages, 43800 KiB  
Article
Study on the Binding Behavior of Chloride Ion and Ettringite in Nano-Metakaolin Cement by Seawater Mixing and Curing Temperatures
by Zhisheng Fang, Shiyi Zhang, Wenjie Qi, Yingfang Fan, Surendra P. Shah and Junjie Zheng
Materials 2024, 17(16), 3943; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17163943 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 882
Abstract
Mixing cement with seawater will cause the hydration process of cement to be different from that of ordinary cement, which will significantly affect cement’s mechanical properties and durability. This article investigates the effects of chloride ion concentration, curing temperature, and nano-metakaolin content on [...] Read more.
Mixing cement with seawater will cause the hydration process of cement to be different from that of ordinary cement, which will significantly affect cement’s mechanical properties and durability. This article investigates the effects of chloride ion concentration, curing temperature, and nano-metakaolin content on the evolution process of Friedel’s salts and ettringite (AFt) crystals in cement pastes. The study was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mercury-intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The results show that chlorine salt can increase the production of Friedel’s salt and ettringite, and the delayed AFt production increases by up to 27.95% after the addition of chlorine salt, which has an adverse effect on cement-based materials. Increasing the curing temperature and increasing the nano-metakaolin dosage increased the generation of Friedel’s salt and decreased the delayed AFt generation, which resulted in a decrease in the length and diameter of the AFt crystals. After 28 days of high-temperature curing and the addition of nano-metakaolin, Friedel’s salt production increased by 13.40% and 14.34%, respectively, and ettringite production decreased by 9.68% and 7.93%, respectively. Increasing the curing temperature and adding nano-metakaolin can reduce the adverse effect of delayed ettringite increases due to chloride ion binding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Modification of Clay Minerals)
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12 pages, 24112 KiB  
Article
A Novel Approach for Preparing Sepiolite Micron Powder Based on Steam Pressure Changes
by Wenjia Yang, Youhang Zhou, Jialin Song, Yuze Li and Tianyu Gong
Materials 2024, 17(14), 3574; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17143574 - 19 Jul 2024
Viewed by 515
Abstract
As a common method for preparing micron powder in industrial operations, the mechanical extrusion method simply pursues the particle size without considering the microstructure characteristics of sepiolite, which leads to problems such as bundles of sepiolite not being effectively dispersed, and thus the [...] Read more.
As a common method for preparing micron powder in industrial operations, the mechanical extrusion method simply pursues the particle size without considering the microstructure characteristics of sepiolite, which leads to problems such as bundles of sepiolite not being effectively dispersed, and thus the disruption of fibers is inevitably caused. In this work, a new micronization method for disaggregating these bundles while preserving the original structural integrity of the fibers is proposed based on steam pressure changes. The effects of steam pressure changes on the particle size distribution, microstructure, and properties of treated sepiolite are studied using X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and a specific surface area and aperture analyzer (BET). The experimental results show that the particle size of sepiolite powder depends greatly on steam pressure, and sepiolite powder with mass ratio of 91.6% and a particle size D97 of 21.27 μm is obtained at a steam pressure of 0.6 MPa. Compared to the sepiolite after mechanical extrusion, the sepiolite treated with steam pressure changes can maintain the integrity of its crystalline structure. The specific surface area of sepiolite enhanced from 80.15 m2 g−1 to 141.63 m2 g−1 as the steam pressure increased from 0.1 to 0.6 MPa, which is about 1.6 times that of the sample treated with mechanical extrusion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Modification of Clay Minerals)
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16 pages, 5682 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Low-Silicon X-Type Zeolite from Lithium Slag and Its Fast Exchange Performance of Calcium and Magnesium Ions
by Yu Wang, Longbin Deng, Lin Zhang, Qun Cui and Haiyan Wang
Materials 2024, 17(13), 3181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133181 - 28 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 927
Abstract
Without the addition of silicon and aluminum sources, a pure-phase KNaLSX zeolite was successfully synthesized from the residue (lithium slag), which was produced from spodumene in the production process of lithium carbonate. The KNaLSX samples were characterized by an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Scanning [...] Read more.
Without the addition of silicon and aluminum sources, a pure-phase KNaLSX zeolite was successfully synthesized from the residue (lithium slag), which was produced from spodumene in the production process of lithium carbonate. The KNaLSX samples were characterized by an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF), Thermogravimetric Differential Thermal Analysis (TG-DTA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FT-IR), and N2 adsorption measurement. The ion exchange capacity and the ion exchange rate of calcium and magnesium ions were measured as used for a detergent builder, and the results were compared with the standard zeolites (KNaLSX and 4A). The experimental results show that the pure-phase KNaLSX synthSynthesis and characterization of co-crystalline zeolite composite of LSX/esized from lithium slag has a SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 2.01 with a grain size of 3~4 μm, which is close to the commercial KNaLSX sample of a SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 2.0. The BET-specific surface area of KNaLSX is 715 m2/g, which is larger than the low-silicon X-type zeolite (LSX) synthesized from waste residue reported in the literature. The ion exchange rate constant of calcium and magnesium ions in KNaLSX is 5 times and 3 times that of 4A zeolite, respectively. KNaLSX also has a high ion exchange capacity for magnesium ion of 191 mgMgCO3/g, which is 2 times than that of 4A zeolite, and a high ion exchange capacity for calcium ion of 302 mgCaCO3/g, which meets the first-grade standard of zeolite for detergent builders in China. The work provides the basis for high-value resource utilization of lithium slag and the development of a detergent builder for rapid washing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Modification of Clay Minerals)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Preparation of mesoporous analcime/sodalite composite from natural Jordanian kaolin
Authors: Muayad Esaifan; Fayez Al Daboobi; Mohammed Khair Hourani
Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Art and Sciences, University of Petra, Amman 11196, Jordan
Abstract: In this work meso-macroporous analcime/sodalite zeolite composite was produced by hybrid synthesis process between complex template method and hydrothermal treatment at 220 °C of naturally abundant koalinitic rich clay using dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide as organic soft template to enhance the mesoporous structure. The chemical and morphological properties of the developed zeolites composite was characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), attenuated total Reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N2 adsorption/desorption and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) methods were used to study the morphology, chemical composition and structure of the product. Two types of zeolite particles were obtained, (1) hollow microsphere with attached analcime icositetrahedron of 30 - 40 µm in size and (2) sodalite microsphere with ball-like morphology of 3-4 µm in size. Both N2 adsorption/desorption and surface area data confirmed the ability of the produced zeolite composite to act as excellent adsorbent to remove inorganic and organic pollutants from water and their high catalytic activity.

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