Title : Synthesis of pillared clays as catalysts for catalytic wet air oxidation for wastewater treatment
Abstract:
Natural bentonite was modified with titanium, oxide as a pillar. The single oxide pillar was further modified with aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) oxide pillars to further improve the surface properties of the pillared clay catalysts (PILCs). PILCs were synthesized employing ultrasonication and dry pillaring methods during the aging and intercalation steps. Pristine or raw bentonite clay and the pillared clays were characterized using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), high resolution scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive system (HRSEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), cation exchange capacity (CEC), zeta potential. The synthesised clays were evaluated as catalysts in the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol. The calcination process yielded/resulted in desirable properties in terms of basal spacing, BET surface area, pore volume. The PILCs also showed good catalytic performance with regards to phenol removal efficiencies and TOC removal in aqueous solution.
