Feasibility of compacted attapulgite/diatomite amended clayey soils as gas barrier materials

Compacted clay liners are extensively used as barriers to control the upward diffusion of vapors of volatile or semi-volatile organic contaminants released from unsaturated contaminated soils at industrycontaminated sites.This study aimed to investigate the gas diffusion barrier performance of compacted clayey soils amended with three agents including attapulgite and diatomite individually,and attapulgite/diatomite mixture.The properties including water retention,volumetric shrinkage,gas diffusion,and unconfined compressive strength were evaluated through a series of laboratory tests of amended compacted clayey soils.The results demonstrate that the decrease in volume proportions of interaggregate pores leads to an increase in unconfined compressive strength(qu).Both hydrophilic groups and microstructures of attapulgite and diatomite result in an increase in water retention percent(Wt)of compacted clayey soil specimens after amendment regardless of the type of agent or initial water content(w0).Furthermore,the ratio of the gas diffusion coefficient(De)to the gas diffusion coefficient in the air(Da)was significantly reduced owing to a decrease in volume proportions of inter-aggregate pores,hydrophilic group,and microstructures of attapulgite and diatomite.Scanning electron microscope analyses revealed that rod-shaped attapulgite filled the inter-aggregate pores formed by clay particles,whereas the disc-shaped diatomite particles,characterized by micropores,failed to obstruct the interaggregate pores due to their larger particle size.Mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)analyses showed a reduction in pore volume in the inter-aggregate pores,leading to a reduction in the total pore volume for both the attapulgite and attapulgite/diatomite mixture amended clays,which is in accordance with the scanning electron microscope(SEM)results.The findings are pertinent to the practical application of compacted clay liners as gas barriers against the upward migration of volatile or semi-volatile organic contaminants at contaminated sites.

Electrochemical Study of the Corrosion Inhibitory Capacity of Calcined Attapulgite in Reinforced Concrete Medium

The durability of reinforced concrete structures is greatly influenced by the corrosion of the reinforcement. In addition to air pollution related to the repair of corroded structures, chloride ions are the main factors of corrosion of reinforced concrete structures. This study aims to valorize a clay inhibitor against reinforcement corrosion in reinforced concrete. This clay (Attapulgite) was incorporated into reinforced concretes at different percentages of substitution of calcined attapulgite (0%, 5% and 10%) to cement in the formulation. The corrosion inhibitory power of attapulgite is evaluated in reinforced concretes subjected to the action of chloride ions at different intervals in the NaCl solution (1 day, 21 days and 45 days) by electrochemical methods (zero current chronopotentiometry, polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy). This study showed that in the presence of chloride ions, the composition based on 10% attapulgite has an appreciable inhibitory effect with an average inhibitory efficiency of 82%.

Synthesis of C-Cl-codoped titania/attapulgite composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

We demonstrate the synthesis of C-Cl-codoped titania/attapulgite（TiO2/ATT） composites containing a mixture of TiO2 phases by a facile sol-gel method at 70 ℃ using titanium tetraisopropoxide as the TiO2 precursor and ATT as a support for the TiO2 nanoparticles.The photocatalytic activity of the C-Cl-codoped TiO2/ATT composites with mixed anatase/brookite/rutile phases obtained at pH= 3.0 was much higher than that of commercially available Degussa P25 for the photocatalytic degradation of acid red G under visible-light irradiation.The excellent photocatalytic activity of the developed composite originates from the nonmetal codoping,which extends the absorption edge of TiO2 into visible region,and the presence of multiple phases,which slow the recombination of photoexcited electron/hole pairs.The formation of hydroxyl radicals during the photocatalytic degradation process was detected by photoluminescence probing using terephthalic acid.A mechanism for photocatalysis over the C-Cl-codoped TiO2/ATT composites was proposed.

采后Attapulgite处理对苹果梨青霉病的抑制效果

在离体条件下,105、0 g/L和100 g/L的Attapulgite均可抑制Penicillium expansum菌丝的生长,其中以100 g/L的抑菌效果最好,对菌丝生长的抑制率可达55.9%.采用50 g/L和100 g/L的Attapulgite以Tween60做表面活性剂对果实进行15 min真空渗透处理,可显著降低损伤接种P.expansum的病斑面积,其中100 g/L的处理效果优于50 g/L处理.生化分析结果表明,经Attapulgite处理的果实体内的苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)、几丁质酶(CHT)和-β1,3-葡聚糖酶(GLU)活性明显升高,总酚含量也有所增加.由此表明,Attapulgite处理对苹果梨果实青霉病的抑制与其的直接抑菌作用和诱导体内的抗性有关.

An ion-imprinted polymer supported by attapulgite with a chitosan incorporated sol-gel process for selective separation of Ce(Ⅲ)

The surface ion-imprinting concept and chitosan incorporated sol-gel process were applied to the synthesis of a new attapulgitesupported polymer for selective separation of Ce（III） from aqueous solution. The imprinting mechanism of prepared ion-imprinted polymer were discussed with the Characteristics of FT-IR and SEM. Results from the experiments of adsorption capacity and selectivity suggested that ion-imprinted polymer offered a fast kinetics for the adsorption of Ce（III） under the optimum conditions. Its maximum adsorption capacity was 38.02 mg/g, and the selective recognition towards Ce（III） was much higher than that of the non-imprinted polymer and attapulgite. The prepared functional polymer was shown to be promising for selective separation and enrichment of trace Ce（III） in environmental samples. ？2009 Yong Sheng Yan. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Glycerol steam reforming over hydrothermal synthetic Ni-Ca/attapulgite for green hydrogen generation

Glycerol steam reforming(GSR)is one of the promising technologies that can realize renewable hydrogen production and efficient utilization of crude glycerol.To illuminate the functions of Ca content(3%,6%,9%,and 12%,by mass)and preparation method for Ni/ATP catalyst structure and its catalytic behaviors,the Ni-xCa/ATP(x=3%,6%,9%,and 12%,by mass)catalysts are prepared by co-impregnation(ci)and hydrothermal synthesis(hs)method and then tested in GSR.Characterization results of XRD,N_(2) adsorption–desorption,H_(2)-TPR,HRTEM,XPS,and NH_(3)/CO_(2)-TPD demonstrate that the combined effect between appropriate Ca additive(6%,by mass)and hs enhance catalyst reducibility,uniform distribution of Ca additive and nickel species over ATP,and adsorption for CO_(2).This attributes to hs method protects the ATP framework through suppressing the interaction of Ca with ATP and promotes the formation of NiCaOx interface sites.Therefore,Ni-6Ca/ATP-hs exhibits the highest conversion(86.77%)of glycerol to gas product and H_(2) yield(76.17%)and selectivity(58.56%)during GSR.Furthermore,XRD,HRTEM,TGDTG and Raman analyses confirm that Ni-6Ca/ATP-hs also reveals outstanding anti-sintering and coke resistance.In addition,the structural evolution process of Ni/ATP catalyst with Ca introduction and hs method is presented.Considering the high performance,simple preparation process and low cost,the as-prepared catalyst providing new opportunities for utilization of glycerol derived from biodiesel industry.

Thermal Oxidative Degradation and Ageing Performance of Silicone Rubber Filled with Attapulgite

The natural attapulgite(NAPT)was disaggregated by high-pressure homogenization technology combined with extrusion process to prepare the attapulgite with disaggregated rod crystal bundles(DAPT)and large specific surface area of 133.7 m^(2)/g.NAPT and DAPT were incorporated into the silicone rubber to obtain the composite NAPTSR and DAPT-SR by mechanical blending method,respectively.After thermal oxidative ageing at 300℃ for 0.5 h,temperature for the 5%weight loss increased greatly from 385℃ of the neat silicone rubber to 396-399℃ with addition of NAPT and DAPT.NAPT and DAPT enhanced the interaction between the filler nanoparticles and rubber matrix thus inhibited the nanoparticle agglomeration.The conservation rate of the side methyl group in NAPT-SR and DAPT-SR was greatly improved after ageing.Therefore,the thermal oxidative degradation and ageing performance of the silicone rubber composites was significantly reinforced.Moreover,DAPT could greatly restrain the growth of nanoparticles after ageing.Therefore,DAPT-SR showed the better retention of tensile strength(40.6%),elongation at break(34.9%)and tear strength(30.1%)compared with the corresponding mechanical properties of the neat silicone rubber(10.6%,7.4%,and 5.0%)after ageing.

Preparation of polymer brushes on attapulgite surfaces via a combination of CROP and click reaction

In this work,by a combination of controlled ring-opening polymerization(CROP) and click reaction,we reported a facile and useful method to synthesize linear poly(ε-caprolactone) at attapulgite nanocomposites with well-defined structures.For this,first, the chlorine terminated attapulgite was prepared by the self-assembly of 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysiIane from the surfaces of attapulgite.And then,the terminal chlorines of modified attapulgite were substituted with azido groups.As the second step,linear propa...

Preparation, Characterization and Drug-Release Behaviors of Crosslinked Chitosan/Attapulgite Hybrid Microspheres by a Facile Spray-Drying Technique

A series of chitosan/attapulgite (CTS/APT) hybrid microspheres were prepared by a facile spray-drying technique. The developed hybrid microspheres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the zeta potential. The encapsulation efficiency and in vitro controlled release properties of the microspheres for drug were evaluated using diclofenac sodium (DS) as a model drug. Results indicated that the introduction of APT into crosslinked CTS microspheres can achieve narrow size distribution and make them more uniform. The isoelectric point of the microspheres increased from 8.14 to 9.18 with increasing the content of APT to 10 wt.%. DS loaded in hybrid microspheres is hardly released in simulated gastric fluid, but quickly released in simulated intestinal fluid. The electrostatic interaction between hybrid microspheres and DS can improve the encapsulation efficiency and controlled release behavior of CTS/APT microspheres, and the release mechanism fits Fickian diffusion.

Application of Modified Attapulgite Clay as the Adsorbent in Gasoline Desulfurization

Attapulgite clay is a kind of special silicate mineral with high adsorption capacity thanks to its loose structure and porous surface. In this paper, the attapulgite clay was treated effectively with acid under microwave thermal activation and ultrasonic vibration, respectively, and characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption, FT-IR and SEM. The desulfurization performance of the modified attapulgite clay was then evaluated by using simulated gasoline as the feed. The test results showed that the thiophene removal rate increased with an increasing dosage of hydrochloric acid during microwave modification of attapulgite clay. When the concentration of hydrochloric acid reached 15%, the increase of desulfurization rate became slower, and the desulfurization rate was about 69%.

PREPARATION OF SURFACE ION-IMPRINTED ATTAPULGITE-SUPPORTED POLYMER AND ITS ADSORPTION BEHAVIORS OF Sr(II)

The surface ion-imprinting concept and chitosan incorporated sol-gel process were applied to the preparation of a new attapulgite-supported organic-inorganic hybrid polymer for selective separation of Sr(II) from aqueous solution. The prepared polymer was characterized with SEM, IR and XRD. The results showed that as a sorbent, it had good configuration and binding sites. Its adsorption behaviors for Sr(II) was investigated by FAAS and ICP-AES. The effects on adsorption capacities, including pH, quiescent time, and adsorbent amount were discussed, and the adsorption isothermal curve was obtained. Then the Kd a parameter estimating relative adsorbability, was conducted to study the selectivity towards Sr(II) of the prepared polymer. Under the optimum conditions, the ion-imprinted polymer offered a fast kinetics for the adsorption of Sr(II) and the maximum capacity was 12.9mg/g. The Kd and K parameters estimating relative adsorbability towards target ion, suggested that selective recognition of the ion-imprinted polymer towards Sr(II) was much higher than that of the non-imprinted polymer and attapulgite. Furthermore, the ion-imprinted polymer is of great regeneration capacity. The prepared functional polymer was shown to be promising for selective preseparation and enrichment of trace Sr(II) in environmental samples.

Dynamic Adsorption of Microwave Modified Attapulgite on Micro-polluted Phenol Wastewater

[Objective] The paper was to study the dynamic adsorption of microwave modified attapulgite on micro-polluted phenol wastewater. [Method] Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide （CATB） modified attapulgite was used to modify attapulgite, and conducted dynamic test on micro-polluted phenol wastewater. The dynamic charac- teristics of phenol removal were also studied. [Result] Attapulgite modified by CATB has strong adsorption ability on phenol in micro-polluted water, the phenol removal rate increased with the decrease of flow rate of wastewater. When pH value was 6- 8, phenol concentration in wastewater was 17.74 mg/L, flow rate was 2 m/s and ad- sorption time was 25 rain, the removal rate reached 93.07%. The modified atta- pulgite could be regenerated with alkali, and its adsorption ability after regeneration had no obvious decline. The dynamic adsorption process of phenol accorded with the first-order kinetic equation. [Conclusion] The study provided basis for further study on ＂organic matter removal in wastewater.

Effect of Attapulgite Added in Plating Bath on the Properties of Ni/TiC Nano-composite Coatings

Pure copper plates were coated by Ni-TiC dipulse current plating method. The effects of adding different concentration（ranging from 0.5 g/L to 3.0 g/L） of attapulgite nano particles to the plating bath on the surface morphology, wear resistance, and oxidation resistance of Ni/TiC/Attapulgite nano-composite coatings were investigated. The experimental results show that the composite coating is flat and compact with adding 3.0 g/L in the bath, and the coating preferred orientation is changed from the planes（111） to（200）. The coefficient of the composite coatings decreases from 0.68 to 0.18 with increasing content of attapulgite in the bath, a mixed mode of adhesive-abrasive wear occurs for all coatings, and the wear mechanism shows a transition from adhesive-abrasive to predominantly abrasive wear mechanism when the concentration of attapulgite is beyond 1.5 g/L in electrolyte. The oxidation resistance of composite coatings is the best prepared when adding attapulgite particles at 0.5 g/L in the bath, the oxide mainly consists of a NiO phase by X-ray analysis.

STUDY ON THE ADSORPTION BEHAVIOR OF Pb(Ⅱ) ON NANOMETER ATTAPULGITE BY FAAS

The adsorptive behavior of nanometer attapulgite modified by acid to Pb（Ⅱ） was investigated by flame atomic absorption spectrometry （FAAS） in this paper. The mainly effect parameters ott the adsorptive efficiency of Pb（Ⅱ）, such as the acidity of the solution, the amount of attapulgite, oscillation time and static time were studied. Also the influencing factors of the recovery efficiency of Pb（Ⅱ）, including the concentration of hydrochloric acid, the volume of hydrochloric acid, oscillation time and static time were investigated. The adsorptive capacity of Pb（Ⅱ） on nanometer attapulgite was 26.5mg/g and the adsorptive capacity of first cycle and second cycle regenerated nanometer attapulgite were 26.5mg/g and 26.3mg/g, respectively. The results obtained indicated that the regenerated effect was good.

Geochemical Study of Rare Earth Elements on Four Attapulgite Clay Deposits in Jiangsu and Anhui Provinces,China

This paper discussed in detail about the REE component and the characteristics of the different kinds of attapulgite clay ores as well as basalts, weathered basalts in four localities of attapulgite clay deposits of Jiangsu and Anhui Provinces of China. It is concluded that the half weathered basalts have not distinct REE fractionation and strong weathered basalts have HREE loss in the process of the basalts weathered to form smectite group minerals. And the lateritic montmorillonite clays that formed from the basalts weathering have a distinct Ce positive anomaly, a little MREE loss and LREE and HREE renew enrichment. That reflects the particular oxidation condition in the Earth's surface and the adsorption of the colloid solution of the lake water in the basin of the continent in the time of the clays formed. The attapulgite clays produced by the reaction between basalts with lake water in the original place of the basin have same REE characteristics as that of the basalts and the weathered basalts. This shows that REE does not transfer heavily in the progressive chemical weathering process. The sedimentary attapulgite clays have also a similar REE component and characteristic parameters to the basalts and the weathered basalts, and have a distinct Eu negative anomaly and a big value of LREE/HREE, which shows that the sedimentary clay came from the weathered basalts, and REE partitioning patterns characters of the clays are controlled by the residual material of the weathered basalts.

The role and potential of attapulgite in catalytic pyrolysis of refinery waste activated sludge

Pyrolysis is a promising technology for the treatment of refinery waste activated sludge(rWAS).In this study,attapulgite as a natural clay was used to enhance the pyrolysis of rWAS.The yields,characteristics of pyrolytic products,pyrolytic kinetics and mechanisms were investigated.The attapulgite improved the conversion of rWAS into non-condensable gases and pyrolytic liquids.The bio-oil quality improved and the biochar yield reduced.The average activation energy of Stage Ⅰ(230-400℃)and Stage Ⅱ(400-500℃)decreased by 36.5%and 49.7%,respectively,compared to rWAS alone.Al_(2)O_(3)and Fe_(2)O_(3)in attapulgite enhanced the dealkylation reaction and cracking of C-C bonds.The content of the gasoline(<C_(13))fraction of bio-oil doubled relative to rWAS alone.Attapulgite promoted the deoxygenation,dehydroxylation and dehydrogenation reactions of O-containing compounds,and the content of CO and CO_(2) in non-condensable gases increased.Addition of attapulgite(rWAS:attapulgite ratio of 1:1)decreased the O mobility from 14.6%to 12.8%relative to rWAS alone.Also,the content of saturates in bio-oil increased from 38.5 wt%to 47.2 wt%and the lower heating value(LHV)increased from 6.8 kcal/kg to 8.4 kcal/kg.The heavy metals originally in rWAS were fixed into the pyrolytic residue and the environmental risks are low.This study demonstrates the role and potential of attapulgite in catalytic pyrolysis of rWAS with an added advantage of increased cost-effectiveness.

Polyurethane Grafted Attapulgite as Novel Fillers for Nylon 6 Nanocomposites

Attapulgite fibers were modified by polyurethane, forming polyurethane grafted attapulgite （AT-PU）, which was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. Nylon 6/AT-PU nanocomposites of different modified attapulgite loadings were prepared by melt blending in a twin screw extruder. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） observation on the fracture surfaces of the nanocomposites showed not only a uniform dispersion of AT-PU but also a strong interfacial adhesion with the matrix. Differential scanning calorimeter （DSC） and Thermogravimetric analyzer （TGA） were used to illustrate the infiuence of AT-PU particles on the thermal properties of the nylon 6/AT-PU nanocomposites. The results indicated that the addition of attapulgite probably induced the heterogeneous nucleation and was favorable for the formation of γ -crystalline form, and that the higher thermal stability was obtained for the composites.

Synthesis and Characterization of Mesoporous Carbons Using Attapulgite Template

The template carbonization method was utilized for the production of mesoporous carbons using attapulgite as a template and sucrose as carbon precursor. Sucrose was polymerized and carbonized in the tubes of natural attapulgite using a sulfuric acid catalyst. The structure of the template and carbons were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Nitrogen adsorption analysis techniques. At the micrometer level, the carbon material templated with the natural attapulgite had the similar morphology. Nitrogen adsorption analysis showed that the obtained porous carbons possess a wide pore size distribution and a large pore volume, especially in the range of mesopores.

Magnetic Cotton Fabric Coated with Poly (vinyl alcohol ) (PVA)/ Magnetic Attapulgite (MAT) Composite Solution

Magnetic fiber or fabric incorporating magnetic particles was widely used in the field of magnetic health-care.The cotton fabric was modified with poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)/magnetic attapulgite(MAT)composite solution by coating,which was the PVA solution blended with MAT.The mechanical and magnetic properties were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy(SEM),vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM)and tensile strength test.The results of SEM show that MAT can scatter uniformly in the PVA film and the PVA/MAT polymer film has good combination with cotton fabric.The results of other tests show that the addition of PVA/MAT polymer film not only brings uniform magnetism to cotton fabric,but also increases the mechanical strength of the material.Besides,the proportion of PVA/MAT and dipping time are studied in order to determine the best parameters for further study on magnetic cotton fabric.

Modelling and Response Surface Optimisation of Methyl Violet Removal by a Mixture of Titaniferous Sand and Non-Activated Attapulgite

In recent years, the discharge of dye-laden effluents from the textile industries into the aquatic environment has increased considerably. These industries are among the largest consumers of water. They generate huge amounts of pollutants from their huge discharge of toxic effluents and pose serious public health problems. So, this study focuses on the use of the mixture of titaniferous sand and attapulgite for the removal of methyl violet by adsorption in discontinuous mode. The different adsorbents were characterized by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and their different physico-chemical properties such as pH, zero charge potential, bulk and absolute density, porosity and specific surface area were determined. The response surfaces, through the Box-Behnken model, were used to model and optimize the operating conditions. The different factors studied were the ratio of titaniferous sand and attapulgite, the initial concentration of methyl violet and the pH. These vary between 1.25 and 8, 20 and 100 mg/L, 4 and 10 respectively. The results obtained after statistical analysis of the data show that the optimum mixture ratio is 2, the optimum concentration is 99.92 mg/L and the optimum pH is 9.88 corresponding to a maximum capacity of 5.52 mg/g and a maximum removal efficiency of 99.56%. The study of the effects of the different factors showed that the initial concentration of methyl violet and the pH significantly influence the adsorption capacity and the removal efficiency of the dye.