Study on the Synthesis and Adsorption Properties of KH-560 Modified PalygorskiteSupported β-Cyclodextrin

1 Results Palygorskite (PGS) is a chain-layer magnesium-aluminum silicate mineral. Because of its developed interior channels and large specific surface area, and thus considerable adsorption capacity, it has been studied for the application as one of environmental mineral adsorbents[1-3]. Cyclodextrins (CD) possess a hydrophilic exterior and a hydrophobic interior into which a variety of hydrophobic organic molecules maybe introduced. The CD molecule not only affects a hydrophilic cavity on the nanomet...

The study of pesticide-fertilizer combination prepared with biochar and chlorantraniliprole and its effectiveness in controlling fall armyworms

In this research,a pesticide-fertilizer combination(PFC)was fabricated using chlorantraniliprole and biochar.The PFC had a spherical shape,smooth surface,uniform particles,relatively dense structure and good compression resistance.The adsorption propertie of biochar to chlorantraniliprole was investigated.During the preparation of pelleted granules,the types and concentrations of corefillers and adhesives were screened and optimized.Besides,the safety to maize and effectiveness against fall armyworms of PFC had been investigated.Meanwhile,The PFC could promoted growth of maize significantly and control fall armyworm effectively.This work provides a promising approach to slow the release of chlorantraniliprole,which has a potential application to enhance the pesticides efficiency.

Inorganic Colloidal Electrolyte for Highly Robust Zinc‑Ion Batteries

Zinc-ion batteries(ZIBs)is a promising electrical energy storage candidate due to its eco-friendliness,low cost,and intrinsic safety,but on the cathode the element dissolution and the formation of irreversible products,and on the anode the growth of dendrite as well as irreversible products hinder its practical application.Herein,we propose a new type of the inorganic highly concentrated colloidal electrolytes(HCCE)for ZIBs promoting simultaneous robust protection of both cathode/anode leading to an effective suppression of element dissolution,dendrite,and irreversible products growth.The new HCCE has high Zn^(2+)ion transference number(0.64)endowed by the limitation of SO4^(2−),the competitive ion conductivity(1.1×10^(–2) S cm^(−1))and Zn2+ion diffusion enabled by the uniform pore distribution(3.6 nm)and the limited free water.The Zn/HCCE/α-MnO2 cells exhibit high durability under both high and low current densities,which is almost 100%capacity retention at 200 mA g^(−1) after 400 cycles(290 mAh g^(−1))and 89%capacity retention under 500 mA g^(−1) after 1000 cycles(212 mAh g^(−1)).Considering material sustainability and batteries’high performances,the colloidal electrolyte may provide a feasible substitute beyond the liquid and all-solid-state electrolyte of ZIBs.

Adsorption Kinetics of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solutions onto Palygorskite

The adsorption kinetics of methylene blue from aqueous solutions on purified palygorskite was investigated. The kinetics data related to the adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solutions are in good agreement with the pseudo-second order equation in ranges of initial concentration of 120-210 mg/L, oscillation speed of 100-200 r/min and temperature of 298-328K. The experimental results show that methylene blue is only adsorbed onto the external surface of purified palygorskite, and the apparent adsorption activation energy is 13.92 kJ/mol. The relatively low apparent adsorption activation energy suggests that the adsorption of methylene blue involves in not only a chemical, but also a physical adsorption process, and it is controlled by the combination of chemical adsorption and fiquid-film diffusion.

Mechanism for Cu^(2+) Sorption on Palygorskite

A single-factor experiment of copper ion adsorption on pure palygorskite was carried out to understand the Cu2+ sorption of palygorskite—an important clay mineral in soil and sedimentary rock. In addition, pH of the solution and the surface microstructure of palygorskite were investigated before and after adsorption. The experimental results indicated that efficiency of Cu2+ removal was related to the oscillation rate of the specimen shaker, sorption time, initial pH value and the amount of adsorbent added. Palygorskite induced Cu2+ hydrolysis and interaction between copper hydroxide colloids and palygorskite surfaces, as observed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), were the main contributions to palygorskite removal of Cu2+. This mechanism was different from adsorption at the mineral-water interface. It was proposed that surface hydrolysis of palygorskite raised the alkalinity of the palygorskite-water interface and suspension system. Thus, the induced pH of the solution was then high enough for Cu2+ hydrolysis on the mineral surface and in solution.

Improvement of CO2 capture performance of calcium-based absorbent modified with palygorskite

Limestone can be used for CO_2 capture and sequestration(CCS) in flue gas effectively. However, its CCS capability will dramatically decline after several cycles due to the surface "sintering". In this work, the limestone was modified with palygorskite to reduce sintering phenomenon between the absorbent particles during the CCS process and the carbonation rate of the limestone can be enhanced effectively. Palygorskite is a natural mineral with nano-fibrous structure which can reduce the mutual contact of limestone particles during the CCS process. The results were detected by TGA, SEM, MIP, FTIR and particle size analyzer respectively. The best CO_2 capture performance of modified absorbent was 13.11% improvement with only 5 wt% palygorskite added during the CCS process after 15 cycles compared with natural absorbent. It was found that excellent microscopic structures of absorbent modified with palygorskite was created, and the surface sintering was postponed leading to CO_2 capture performance enhanced under the same conditions.

Enhanced adsorptive removal of Cr(VI)in aqueous solution by polyethyleneimine modified palygorskite

Polyethyleneimine(PEI)modified palygorskite(Pal)was used for the adsorption of Cr(VI)in aqueous solution.The absorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR)and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA).Characterized results confirmed that the Pal has been successfully modified by PEI.The modification of PEI increased the Cr(VI)adsorption performance of the Pal by the adsorption combined reduction mechanism,and amino groups of the adsorbent play the main role in the enhanced Cr(VI)adsorption.The maximum adsorption capacity was 51.10 mg·g^-1 at pH4.0 and 25°C.The adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI)on the adsorbent conforms to the Langmuir isotherm model.The maximum adsorption occurs at pH3,and then the adsorption capacity of PEI-Pal was decreased with the increase of p H values.The adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI)on PEI-Pal was modeled with pseudo-second-order model.The addition of Cl^-,SO4^2-and PO4^3-reduced the Cr(VI)adsorption by competition with Cr(VI)for the active sites of PEI-Pal.The Cr(VI)saturated PEI-Pal can be regenerated in alkaline solution,and the adsorption capacity can still be maintained at 30.44 mg·g^-1 after 4 cycles.The results demonstrate that PEI-Pal can be used as a potential adsorbent of Cr(VI)in aqueous solutions.

Preparation of Palygorskite-based Phase Change Composites for Thermal Energy Storage and Their Applications in Trombe Walls

Palygorskite/paraffin phase-change composites were prepared by the combination of purified palygorskite clay and sliced paraffin. Then, this composite was used in the Trombe wall to improve its energy storage ability. Further, its energy storage ability was compared to that of ordinary concrete wall through contrastive test. The experiments show that palygorskite clay is a type of clay mineral with strong adsorption ability, and the purity of natural palygorskite clay can reach up to 97.1% after certain purification processes. Paraffin is well adsorbed by palygorskite, and the test results show that the optimal adsorption ratio is palygorskite： paraffin = 2：1（mass ratio）. Palygorskite/paraffin phase change composites can be obtained by using palygorskite as the adsorbing medium to adsorb paraffin. The composite materials exhibit good heat storage（release） performance, which can store heat with increasing environment temperature and release heat with decreasing temperature. This property not only increases the inertia to environment temperature change, but also promotes the energy migration in different time and space, thus achieving a certain energy-saving effect. The application of palygorskite/paraffin phase change composite materials to the Trombe wall can significantly reduce the fluctuation of indoor temperature and enhance the thermal inertia of indoor environment. From the aspect of energy storage effect, the Trombe wall fabricated using PCMs is significantly superior to the concrete wall with the same thickness.

Ethylene Polymerization with Palygorskite Supported Nickel-Diimine Catalyst

A nickel-diimine catalyst [N, N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-1,4-diaza-2,3-dimethyl-1, 3-butadiene nickel dibromide, DMN] was supported on palygorskite clay for ethylene slurry polymerization. The effect of supporting methods on the catalyst impregnation was studied and compared. Pretreatment of the support with methylalumi-noxane (MAO) followed by DMN impregnation gave higher catalyst loading and catalytic activity than the direct impregnation of DMN. Catalyst activity as high as 5.42×105g PE·molNi-1·h-1 was achieved at ethylene pressure of 6.87×105 Pa and polymerization temperature of 20℃. In particular, the morphological change of the support during MAO treatment was characterized and analyzed. It was found that nano-fiber clusters formed during the support pretreatment, which increased the surface area of the support and favored the impregnation of the catalyst. The investigation of polymerization behavior of supported catalyst revealed that the polymerization rate could be kept at a relatively high level for a long time, different from the homogeneous catalyst. By analyzing the SEM photographs of the polymer produced by the supported catalyst, the morphological evolution of polymer particles was preliminarily studied.

Synthesis of magnetically modified palygorskite composite for immobilization of Candida sp. 99–125 lipase via adsorption

Magnetically modified palygorskite composites were synthesized with γ-Fe2O3 dispersing on the external surface of clay mineral. The magnetic clay was characterized with Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffrac- tion, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. Candida sp. 99-125 lipase was immobilized on magnetic palygorskite composites by physical adsorption with enzyme loading of 41.5 mg· g^-1 support and enzyme activity of 2631.6 U· （g support）^-1. The immobilized lipase exhibit better thermal and broader pH stability and excellent reusabilitV compared with free lipase.

SAED and HRTEM Investigation of Palygorskite

The microstructure of palygorskite from Longwang Mountain of Xuyu County, Jiangsu Province, was studied by energy dispersive X-ray analysis （EDX）, selected-area electron diffraction （SAED） and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. The average composition of the palygorskite studied is （Si7.38A10.62） （A10.96Fe^3＋ 0.62Mg2.86 0.56）Ca0.03K0.06O20（OH）2（OH2）4, which is rich in Mg. Several SAED patterns from a single crystal of palygorskite were obtained with different zone axes. The polymorphs （monoclinic and orthorhombic） are unequivocally distinguished by distant interplanar angles, even though they possess similar sets of d-values. High-resolution images of three principal zones （[010], [100] and [110]） were obtained. The lattice fringes on HRTEM images along [010] have spacings of 0.319 nm. These fringes are interpreted as periodic alterations of two tetrahedral （T） sheets and one octahedral （O） sheet （-TT-O-TT-O-）. We have directly observed trioctahedral and dioctahedral individual palygorskite particles along [100]. They are all presented as dark lines along [001], but the width of dark lines corresponding to trioctahedral crystals （0.913 nm） is twice that of the dioctahedral ones （0.456 nm）. This is because the trans.sites are occupied by cations in trioctahedral palygorskite. The width of dark lines along [110] is 1.024 nm, a bit thinner than the theoretical spacing （1.044 nm）. This is because water molecules quickly leave the structure upon the irradiation by the electron beam.

Assessment of geochemical and sedimentological characteristics of atmospheric dust in Shiraz,southwest Iran

Geogenic dust is commonly believed to be one of the most important environmental problems in the Middle East.The present study investigated the geochemical characteristics of atmospheric dust particles in Shiraz City(south of Iran).Atmospheric dust samples were collected through a dry collector method by using glass trays at 10 location sites in May 2018.Elemental composition was analysed through inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry.Meteorological data showed that the dustiest days were usually in spring and summer,particularly in April.X-ray diffraction analysis of atmospheric dust samples indicated that the mineralogical composition of atmospheric dust was calcite+dolomite(24%)>palygorskite(18%)>quartz(14%)>muscovite(13%)>albite(11%)>kaolinite(7%)>gypsum(7%)>zircon=anatase(3%).The high occurrence of palygorskite(16%-23%) could serve as a tracer of the source areas of dust storms from the desert of Iraq and Saudi Arabia to the South of Iran.Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the sizes of the collected dust varied from 50 μm to0.8 μm,but 10 μm was the predominant size.The atmospheric dust collected had prismatic trigonal-rhombohedral crystals and semi-rounded irregular shapes.Moreover,diatoms were detected in several samples,suggesting that emissions from dry-bed lakes,such as Hoor Al-Azim Wetland(located in the southwest of Iran),also contributed to the dust load.Backward trajectory simulations were performed at the date of sampling by using the NOAA HYSPLIT model.Results showed that the sources of atmospheric dust in the study area were the eastern area of Iraq,eastern desert of Saudi Arabia,Kuwait and Khuzestan Province.The Ca/Al ratio of the collected samples(1.14) was different from the upper continental crust(UCC) value(UCC=0.37),whereas Mg/A1(0.29),K/Al(0.22) and Ti/Al(0.07) ratios were close to the UCC value(0.04).This condition favours desert calcisols as the main mineral dust sources.Analysis of the crustal enrichment factor(EF_(crustal)) revealed geogenic sources for V,Mo,Pb,Sr,Cu and Zn(<2),whereas anthropogenic sources affected As,Cd,Cr and Ni.

Distribution of Palygorskite in the Lingtai Profile of Chinese Loess Plateau:Its Paleoclimatic Implications

Palygorskite is a typical indicator mineral of the arid and strong evaporation environment. Distribution of palygorskite in loess-red clay sequences may act as an important indicator for reconstruction of the paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. In this paper, field emission scanning electron microscope and high-resolution transmission electron microscope observations on the red clay-loess-paleosol of the Renjiapo profile at Lingtai, Gansu Province indicate that palygorskite occurs widely in red clay sequences formed before 3.6 Ma, but no occurrence has been found in eolian sediments since 3.2 Ma. Micromorphological features and microstructure of palygorskite show that it is an autogenic mineral formed during pedogenesis, and transformed from iilite-montmorilionite under the pore water action. In the Lingtai profile, the disappearance horizon of palygorskite is consistent with those of increasing magnetic susceptibility, dust flux and depositional rate. The distribution of palygorskite in the profile indicates that the interval of around 3.6 Ma was an important transformation period of the East Asian paleomonsoon, when changes took place in the East Asia paleoclimate pattern, i.e. a high-frequency strong fluctuation alternative evolution of the environment. Therefore, palygorskite is a key indicator mineral of the East Asian paleomonsoon evolution of that time.

Preparation and properties of a low-cost porous ceramic support from low-grade palygorskite clay and silicon-carbide with vanadium pentoxide additives

Alow-cost porous ceramic support was prepared from low-grade palygorskite clay(LPGS) and silicon carbide(SiC)with vanadium pentoxide(V_(2) O_(5)) additives by a dry-press forming method and sintering.The effects of SiC-LPGS ratio,pressing pressure,carbon powder pore-forming agent and V_(2) O_(5) sintering additives on the microstructure and performance of the supports were investigated.The addition of an appropriate amount of SiC to the LPGS can prevent excessive shrinkage of the support during sintering,and increase the mechanical strength and open porosity of the supports.The presence of SiC(34.4%) led to increases in the open porosity and mechanical strength of 40.43% ± 0.21% and(17.76 ± 0.51) MPa,respectively,after sintering at 700℃ for 3 h.Because of its low melting point,V_(2) O_(5) can melt to liquid during sintering,which increases the mechanical strength of the supports and retains the porosity.Certainly,this can also encourage efficient use of the LPGS and avoid wasting resources.

Structures and Properties Characterization of Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene /Organo-palygorskite Clay Composites

Palygorskite （PGS） and vinyl tris-（2-methoxyethoxy） silane （KH-172） modified palygorskite （OPGS） were used to prepare acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene （ABS）/clay composites. Thermal stability of the composites was evaluated by using thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）. The morphology of the fractured surface and the degree of dispersion of the clay in the ABS matrix were observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis results showed the variation of the crystal structure. Measurements of the tensile properties of the ABS/clay composites proved that the ABS/OPGS composited material represented the most excellent tensile property, because of good compatibility and dispersion of ABS with OPGS.

Superficial performance and pore structure of palygorskite treated by hydrochloric acid

In order to amend the superficial performance of palygorskite and improve its application, the natural palygorskite(NP) was treated in the dipping and ionic exchanging experiments using 6mol/L hydrochloric acid treatment. The performance and pore structure of the treated palygorskite(TP) were investigated by means of microscope analyses, FT-IR, XRF, BET-SSA and full hole distribution analytical techniques. The results show that the hydrochloric acid treatment can make the gracile and aggregating compact crystal bundles inside palygorskite clay broken and dispersed, the roughness of microcrystalline surface increases, which not only can dissolve or remove dolomite but vary the superficial performance of palygorskite to some degree. The specific surface area and pore volume increase a lot, while the mean pore size decreases. The pore structure of TP changes remarkably compared with that of NP after 6mol/L hydrochloric acid treatment, and the relevant physicochemical performance can be improved.

Solution Blowing of Palygorskite-Based Nanofibers for Methylene Blue Adsorption

Palygorskite(PG)adsorbent with superior adsorption property and ion-exchange ability is highly desired in the field of dye removal.However,it generates high amounts of precipitation due to the granular form,resulting in secondary pollution after adsorption.Herein,the novel high porosity PG-based nanofibers that are easy for operating and retrieving have been fabricated using effective solution blowing and subsequent calcination.The obtained highly efficient adsorption nanofibers exhibit large specific surface area about 170.50 m^(2)/g with average diameter from 243 nm to 365 nm.Based on the abovementioned nanofibrous structure and negatively charged PG,the solution blowing of PG-based nanofibers(SBPNs)showed high adsorption capacity for methylene blue(MB)(112.36 mg/g).In addition,the adsorption of SBPNs is well described by the Langmuir isotherm model.This work provides new SBPNs forming process for the fields of dye removal,which may achieve the production of PG adsorbents at the industrial level.

Microstructural, Chemical and Mineralogical Analyses for Understanding the Geotechnical Properties of Clayey Soils

This paper presents a study research in the laboratory of three clayey soils from the depression of the Lama, a tropical climate area where disorders appear on construction and roads. Samples were tested to establish the relationship between their mineralogy and their geotechnical properties. On the three clayey soils, analyses were performed to characterize the macroscopic behavior (physical tests, free swelling test and compressibility tests) and the microstructural, chemical and mineralogical characterizations by thermal analysis, chemical analysis, X-Ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy observations complementary X-ray EDS analyses. At first glance, the results of physical and compressibility tests appear not to be consistent with the free swelling test results. Indeed, these results highlighted differences in the behaviors of the samples because the swelling potential revealed by the results of physical and compressibility test does not follow the same trend as the one given by the free swelling test result. The main clay minerals in the studied clayey soils varied from fibrous clays (palygorskite) to best-known clays such as smectite and kaolinite. Microstructural, chemical and mineralogical analyses allowed to understand and explain the different trends obtained by the different types of geotechnical characterization tests of studied clayey soils.

The Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene of Phosphate Clays of the Ouled Bou Sbaa Deposit: Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Beneficiation (Meskala, Morocco)

This work aims first to characterize the Maastrichtian and Paleogene clays of the Ouled Bou Sbaa phosphate deposit located in the northern part of the Meskala Basin;and as a second goal, the most efficient clay fractions are tested and identified for organic dyes removal. Several techniques and methods have been adopted for the characterization of clays: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Tests for the removal of methylene blue from clays were carried out by adsorption. The XRD study shows that the clays of the Ouled Bou Sbaa deposit contain fibrous clay types of palygorskite and sepiolite, and phyllite clays such as montmorillonite and illite. Stratigraphically, the Maastrichtian sample yielded, mainly aluminous clays dominated by montmorillonites, while in the Paleogene clays, the palygorskite-types clays, also rich in magnesium, are more common. The results of FTIR, XRF and SEM analyses confirm the mineralogical data, respectively, by the presence of characteristic bands and the dominance of oxides of silica, aluminum, magnesium, and the large dominance of palygorskite which is presented in the form of bundles or platelets of long fibers and montmorillonite which is presented in the form of a stack of sheets. The adsorption of methylene blue (MB) on these clays showed very fast fixation kinetics and a very efficient purifying power for this organic pollutant. The equilibrium isotherms were determined using the Langmuir, Freundlich and Elovich models. The results show that the Freundlich isotherm had better agreement with the methylene blue on clay with a correlation coefficient of 0.959.

Solar Photocatalysis of TiO2 Supported Natural Palygorskite Nanofibers Elaborated by a One_Pot Mechanochemical Route

This study reports the successful synthesis of supported TiO2_Palygorskite nanocomposites by a one-pot dry mechanochemical route. Indeed, the elaboration procedure involved an in-situ reaction between accessories carbonates present in raw fibrous palygorskite clay and titanyl sulfate (TiOSO4) precursor under variable grinding conditions, essentially ball/solid matter mass ratio and rotation velocity. This yielded after air annealing at 600%C for 1 h to the immobilization of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (≈8 nm of average size) as evidenced by XRD and TEM analyses. Once the conditions of elaboration were optimized, the photocatalytic properties were evaluated under 3 conditions: artificial UV radiation, artificial solar radiation (UV + visible range) and under dynamic solar illumination taking into account the discontinuities of the solar resource. The results allowed the estimation and comparison of the catalyst’s capabilities and showed its ability to work under natural irradiation. The so developed supported photocatalysts TiO2/Palygorskite exhibited a good activity towards the removal of Orange G (OG) dye from aqueous media under artificial UV and natural solar radiations.