Adsorption isotherms and UV-visible and Mössbauer spectroscopic data point to specific interactions between flavomononucleotide (FMN) and Fe3+-smectite. The maximum amount of FMN adsorption was 0.3 mmole/g of Fe3+-smectite giving a 1:1 molar proportion of Fe3+ and FMN. The results suggest a Fe3+-FMN complex residing at the smectite surface. Other homoionic smectites (Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ca2+) exhibited lower levels of adsorption and less apparent specific interaction.

A series of organo-montmorillonites and organo-hectorites was prepared by complete ion-exchange from the pure sodium form of the parent smectites. The organic cations were tetramethylammonium, trimethylated quaternary ammonium derivatives of the lysine and of the ornithine methyl esters, quaternarized polyammonium cations, or tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP). These organo-smectites were used as packing material for gas chromatography columns. Mixtures of light hydrocarbons (methane to n-butane; “C1” to “C4”) could be separated. The degree of separation depends on the presence of micropores or of organophilic mesopores. The BET surface area, the micropore and mesopore volumes, as well as the size distribution of micropores and mesopores were measured for several systems. As a general trend, the retention times of the light hydrocarbons decrease with an increase of the micropore volume. In the case of TPP-montmorillonite, characterized by a large mesopore volume but for which no microporosity could be detected, separation of longer linear hydrocarbons (n-pentane to n-octane) could also be achieved.

Tetramethylphosphonium-smectite (TMP-clay) and tetramethylammonium-smectite (TMA-clay), were prepared and characterized as adsorbents for a series of aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons. The sorption of benzene, alkylbenzenes, and carbon tetrachloride as vapors and as solutes from water was studied to evaluate the effect of water on adsorption efficiency. Adsorption of organic vapors depended on the N2 BET surface area. TMA-clay was a slightly better adsorbent than TMP-clay, due to its somewhat higher surface area. The Langumir isotherms obtained indicated that adsorption occurred predominantly in the interlayer micropores, apparently on mineral surfaces between onium ions. Adsorption efficiency of both organo-clays decreased, compared to vapor sorptions, in presence of water. Lower sorption was apparently due to shrinkage of the interlayer pore or cavity sizes by hydration of interlayer TMA and TMP cations. Although sorption efficiencies of both organo-clays was reduced in presence of bulk water, the extent of reduction was much less for TMP-clay. Thus, TMP-clay was a better adsorbent than TMA-clay in presence of water, despite its lower surface area, in direct contrast to vapor sorption. The Langumir isotherms indicated interlayer sorption of benzene, alkylbenzenes and carbon tetrachloride from water by TMP-clay. The absence of Langumir isotherms for toluene, ethylbenzene and p-xylene uptake from water by TMA-clay indicated that these bulkier solutes were not adsorbed in the interlayers. These results indicate that hydration of TMA cations causes shrinkage of the interlayer pores to dimensions that exclude these solutes. The lower degree of hydration of TMP cations enables TMP-clay to maintain interlayer pores large enough to accommodate the bulkier alkylbenzenes.

Organo-clays are of interest in the modification of anion transport properties in engineered barriers. In the present study, surface charge and wettability were assessed for tracking changes in the effective diffusion coefficient (Deff) by the formation or suppression of bound H2O layers on the external surfaces of clays. Bentonite samples modified with three different organic cations in amounts of 0 to 400% of the cation exchange capacity were used. Diffusive transport was determined in H2O→D2O exchange experiments in a newly constructed cell adapted to the attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory of a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer at two different dry bulk densities and various degrees of water saturation.

All organo-clay combinations showed changes in surface charge after the addition of organic cations, from a negative value of 99 mmolc/kg for the original bentonite to a maximum positive value of 230.5 mmolc/kg for hexadecylpyridinium (HDPy)-montmorillonite. The positive charge resulted from adsorption of the organic cation in excess of the CEC. Hydrophobic surface properties with contact angles >90° were obtained for HDPy-montmorillonite samples with monolayers of organic cations on the external surfaces only. Here, where hydrophobicity suppressed the formation of bound H2O layers, the largest Deff o f 2.7×10−10 m2/s was observed in the high dry bulk density range (1.0–1.5 g/cm3) under water-saturated conditions. In the low dry bulk density range (0.6–0.9 g/cm3) this effect was weakened significantly because, with increasing pore size, the effect of bound H2O layers was reduced. In the high dry bulk density range at partial water saturation (40%), diffusive transport was hindered by the small water volume. Previous work found that, in the high dry bulk density range and water-saturated state, Deff was 2.4×10−11 m2/s for the original bentonite. Deff for all hydrophilic organo-clay samples was ⩽2.1×10−11 m2/s, somewhat less than for the hydrophobic sample. In hydrophilic organo-clay samples, retardation factors that retard the value for Deff, up toa magnitude of 0.5, include an increase in dry bulk density and a decrease in water saturation. In the water-saturated state at high dry bulk densities, hydrophobic surface properties suppressing the formation of bound H2O layers can increase Deff by one order of magnitude.

The potential use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a characterization tool for organo-clays would be a great asset but little work has been done in this regard because the application of NIR to clay mineral studies is a relatively new phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to use NIR spectroscopy to investigate the effect of alkylammonium cations on the acid dissolution of a high-charge montmorillonite (SAz-1). Detailed analysis of the spectra of Li+-, TMA+- (tetramethylammonium), and HDTMA+- (hexadecyltrimethylammonium) saturated SAz-1 montmorillonite in the NIR region was achieved by comparing the first overtone (2ν) and combination (ν+δ) bands of XH groups (X = O, C) with the fundamental stretching (ν) and bending (δ) vibrations observed in the mid-infrared (MIR) region. Comprehensive analysis of the vibrational modes of CH3-N, CH3-C, and -CH2-C groups of TMA+ and HDTMA+ cations detected in the MIR and NIR regions was also performed. Both MIR and NIR spectra demonstrated that exchange of Li+ by TMA+ only slightly improved the resistance of SAz-1 layers to dissolution in 6 M HCl at 80°C, while exchange by the larger HDTMA+ cations almost completely protected the montmorillonite layers from acid attack. Use of NIR spectra in reaching these conclusions was crucial. Only in the NIR region could the creation of SiOH groups be monitored, which is an important indicator of the acidification of the montmorillonite surface. The OH-overtone region in the spectra of Li-SAz-1 and TMA-SAz-1 revealed that the SiOH band near 7315 cm−1 increases in intensity with enhanced acid treatment. In contrast, no SiOH groups were identified in the NIR spectra of HDTMA-SAz-1 treated in HCl, indicating that HDTMA+ completely covers the inner and outer surfaces of the montmorillonite and hinders access ofprotons to the Si-O− bonds created upon acid treatment.

Anthropogenic activity releases hazardous contaminants and pollutants that are not removed fully by water treatments. Among such pollutants, bisphenol-A (BPA) and bisphenol-S (BPS) are included in a series of Endocrine Disruptive Compounds, which may cause disruption due to hormone blockage or mimicking. Thus, even though those pollutants are not considered lethal, they are hazardous to health due to their similarity to 17β-estradiol, and they have been shown to cause developmental malformation in Zebrafish and breast and prostate tumors in rodents. Both BPA and BPS have been found in water sources at concentrations >30 μg L–1 and since water treatment plants are ineffective at removing them, their concentration is constantly increasing. The purpose of the present study, using a collection of experiments performed by B.Sc. and M.Sc. students, was to apply clay-based materials to the removal of such health hazards from water. Specifically adapted modified clays as neutral organoclays can optimize the interaction between pollutants and the matrix to achieve efficient adsorption. Such an approach is very effective for relatively insoluble pollutants such as BPA, but less so for the more soluble BPS. On the other hand, BPS can be photodegraded catalytically using raw clay or TiO2-impregnated clay. At low catalyst concentration, the modified clay was as effective as a commercial TiO2 catalyst, whereas combining it with H2O2 yielded considerably better results. In summary, clay minerals offer solutions for the removal of health-hazardous pollutants from water, based on different procedures and mechanisms. The versality of clay minerals allows 'tailoring' specifically adapted materials that might improve their efficiency based on such very specific pollutant-matrix interactions.

When clay minerals, notably smectites, intercalate organic cations, their interlayer surfaces change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The resultant intercalates, known as organo-clays (OCs), have a large affinity for hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs). Organo-clays are used as sorbents of HOCs in wastewater treatment and as sorptive barriers in landfill liners. The structural and sorptive characteristics of OCs with respect to HOCs have been studied extensively, and a large volume of literature has accumulated over the past few decades. The interactions of OCs with HOCs and the various approaches to improving the sorption capacity of OCs are reviewed here, with particular reference to the application of novel analytical techniques, such as molecular modeling, to characterizing the OC—HOC interaction.