Clay materials

Refra.ctories, Refractory products are prepared from a wide variety of naturally occurring materials such as chromite [1308-31 -2] and magnesite [546-93-0] or from clays predominandy composed of kaolinite. Increasingly, higher purity synthetic materials are being used to obtain special properties. On the other hand, for many refractory uses, a somewhat lower fusion point than that provided by kaolinite may be adequate, so that clay materials having a moderate amount of other components as, for example, iUite, may be satisfactory. High alumina clays are also used extensively for the manufacture of special types of refractories. 

A wide range of clay materials have been used for decolorizing. These may be substantially cmde clay such as fuller s earth, which largely contains montmorillonite as the active clay ingredient, or specially treated attapulgites, montmorillonites, and kaolinites. Proprietary acid activation processes are frequentiy used for production of clay-derived materials of superior performance. 

In the dry process the limestone and clay materials are crushed and stored in separate bins and their composition analyzed. After the composition is known, the contents of the bins are blended to achieve the desired ultimate cement characteristics. The blend is ground to a mesh size of 100-200. This small mesh size maximizes the contact between individual particles. 

The performance of clay materials (Halloysite, Pyrophyllite, Montmorillonite K-30) in the degradation of polystyrene (PS) was investigated in this study. The catalysts showed good catalytic activity for the degradation of PS with high selectivity to aromatics liquids. Styrene is the major product, and ethylbenzene is the second most abundant one in the liquid product. 

When the temperature of a carbonate reservoir that is saturated with high-viscosity oil and water increases to 200° C or more, chemical reactions occur in the formation, resulting in the formation of considerable amounts of CO2. The generation of CO2 during thermal stimulation of a carbonate reservoir results from the dealkylation of aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of water vapor, catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons by water vapor, and oxidation of organic materials. Clay material and metals of variable valence (e.g., nickel, cobalt, iron) in the carbonate rock can serve as the catalyst. An optimal amount of CO2 exists for which maximal oil recovery is achieved [1538]. The performance of a steamflooding process can be improved by the addition of CO2 or methane [1216]. 

A. Khaund. Sintered low density gas and oil well proppants from a low cost unblended clay material of selected composition. Patent US 4668645,1987. 

The feed should be free of clay materials, as they make separation of leach liquor from the treated solids difficult. 

Clay materials show a different behavior. They are either cation-poor or cation-rich sheet silicates. They can swell by taking up varying amounts of water between the sheets. If the intercalated cations are hydrated as in montmorillonite, they act as cation exchangers. Montmorillonite, especially when it has intercalated Ca2+ ions, has thixotropic properties and is used to seal up drill holes. The effect is due to the charge distribution on... 

Swollen clay materials are soft and easy to mould. They serve to produce ceramic materials. High quality fire-clay has a high kaolinite content. Upon firing, the intercalated water is removed first at approximately 100 °C. Then, beginning at 450 °C, the OH groups are converted to oxidic O atoms by liberation of water, and after some more intermediate steps, mullite is formed at approximately 950 °C. Mullite is an aluminum aluminosilicate, Al(4 )/3[Al2 Si,05] with x 0.6 to 0.8. 

On-site sandy soils can also be blended with other clay soils available in the area, but natural clay soil is likely to form chunks that are difficult to break down into small pieces. Bentonites, obtained in dry, powdered forms, are much easier to blend with on-site sandy soils than are wet, sticky clods of clay. Materials other than bentonite can be used, such as atapulgite, a clay mineral that is insensitive to attack by waste. Soils can also be amended with lime, cement, or other additives. 

Carretero et al. 2006, Droy-Lefaix and Tateo 2006). Likwise, Sudanese villagers along the Nile have traditionally used a local bentonite clay to rid river water of viruses and bacteria (Lund and Nissen 1986, Madsen and Schlundt 1989). For a description of the modern-day uses of clays and clay materials in various industries the reader is referred to the reviews by Murray (2003) and Harvey and Lagaly (2006). 

The main components of FCC catalysts are Zeolite Y, e.g., REY orUSY as the major active component (10 to 50%), and a binder that is typically an amorphous alumina, silica-alumina, or clay material. In addition to these main components, other zeolite components, e.g., ZSM-5, and other oxide or salt components are quite frequently used additives in the various FCC catalysts available on the market. The addition of 1 to 5% ZSM-5 increases the octane number of the gasoline. ZSM-5 eliminates feed compounds with low octane numbers because it preferentially center-cracks n-paraffins producing butene and propene [14], These short-chain olefins are then used as alkylation feedstocks... 

Of particular interest for chemical transport into a predominantly smectite medium is the shrink-swell property of the clay material. The swelling properties of smectites are explained by two concepts. The first one, developed by Sposito (1973), shows that smectite swelling is caused by the hydration and mobility of the cations, which in turn balance the negative charge of the layer silicates. The second concept, presented by Low (1981), emphasizes the direct interaction of water molecules with the silicate surface. Both viewpoints fit the common observation that smectite swells in a high-hydration environment and at low electrolyte concentrations and shrinks when water is lost and salt is added to the bulk solution. 

The amount of adsorbed chemical is controlled by both properties of the chemical and of the clay material. The clay saturating cation is a major factor affecting the adsorption of the organophosphorus pesticide. The adsorption isotherm of parathion from an aqueous solution onto montmorillonite saturated with various cations (Fig. 8.32), shows that the sorption sequence (Al > Na > Ca ) is not in agreement with any of the ionic series based on ionic properties. This shows that, in parathion-montmoriUonite interactions in aqueous suspension, such factors as clay dispersion, steric effects, and hydration shells are dominant in the sorption process. In general, organophosphorus adsorption on clays is described by the Freundhch equation, and the values for parathion sorption are 3 for Ca +-kaoUnite, 125 for Ca -montmorillonite, and 145 for Ca -attapulgite. 

Na -loess clay, where batch experiments were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and infrared and far-infrared measurements. The adsorption isotherm (Fig. 8.36) shows that loess clay is selective for cesium cations. The raw material contained a large amount of quartz, and the clay material was a mixture of kaolinite and an interstrati-fied iUite-smectite mineral as a result, equilibrium Cs" adsorption data are not consistent with a single site Langmuir model. Cesium adsorption on this particular soil clay occurs by cation exchange on sites with various cesium affinities. At low concentration, far-infrared spechoscopy shows the presence of very selective adsorption sites that correspond to internal collapsed layers. At high concentration, Cs MAS-NMR shows that cesium essentially is adsorbed to external sites that are not very selective. 

Transformation of organic contaminants adsorbed on clay materials is a surface-mediated process controlled by the molecular structure, the type of clay, and the clay-saturating cation, with the rate of contaminant conversion affected by the... 

FIGURE 16.3 Crystal structure of MgAl204 spinel. (From Vierheilig, A. A., Process for Making, and Use of. Anionic Clay Materials, U.S. Patent 6,479,421, 2002. With permission from Intercat, Inc.)... 

Besides the 39 papers included in this volume, about 50 poster papers were presented at the symposium. They were intended to reflect the wide interest in the new wave of zeolite and clay material researches. 

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