Authors : I.P. Okoye and C. Obi
Abstract: Titanium-pillared clay was synthesized using titanium chloride as the precusor. The pillared product was characterized using Atomic Absorption/Emission Spectrophotometer (AAS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), BET Nitrogen adsorption, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that a significant improvement was achieved on the pillared product. A mesoporous material was obtained in contrast with the classical microporous pillared structure. The characterization indicated an increase in the basal spacing (d001). The introduction of titania on the bentonite (parent) broadens the bands due to the presence of more OH groups of the pillar which is interpreted as an effect of pillaring. The decrease in intensity is due to the process of dehydration and dehydroxylation involved during pillaring. The BET specific surface area and micropore volume of the pillared clay are 68.40 m2 g-1 and 9.0x10- 3cm3 g-1. These fundamental results presented showed that synthesized Nigerian clay minerals are eco-friendly and good heterogeneous catalysts/adsorbents for removal of industrial pollutants and the production of fine chemicals.
I.P. Okoye and C. Obi , 2011. Synthesis and Characterization of Titanium Pillared Bentonite Clay Mineral. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 6: 443-446.