Potential Applications in Relation to the Various Physicochemical Characteristics of Al-Hasa Oasis Clays in Saudi Arabia

In this work, various physicochemical characteristics, e.g., surface properties and mineralogical compositions, of five clays collected from different sites in the Al-Hasa oasis in Saudi Arabia have been investigated. Analysis of the mineralogical compositions of the clays in the study by X-ray diff...

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Main Authors: Ibrahim A. Al-Hawas, Salah A. Hassan, Hany M. AbdelDayem
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/24/9016
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author Ibrahim A. Al-Hawas
Salah A. Hassan
Hany M. AbdelDayem
author_facet Ibrahim A. Al-Hawas
Salah A. Hassan
Hany M. AbdelDayem
author_sort Ibrahim A. Al-Hawas
collection DOAJ
description In this work, various physicochemical characteristics, e.g., surface properties and mineralogical compositions, of five clays collected from different sites in the Al-Hasa oasis in Saudi Arabia have been investigated. Analysis of the mineralogical compositions of the clays in the study by X-ray diffraction indicated the coexistence of palygorskite, montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite, chlorite, calcite and quartz in different percentages. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that all studied clays exhibited dehydroxylation temperatures higher than 470 °C. On the other hand, pore size distribution analysis of clays from N<sub>2</sub> adsorption indicated the presence of micro- and narrow mesopores (of 1.3–2.8 nm). Furthermore, the capability of the different clays for removal of Pb (II) from aqueous solution has been studied. The adsorption process was described through the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich models. The Langmuir model was the most suitable compared to the other models in the case of palygorskite- and montmorillonite-rich clays. However, the Temkin model better represented the adsorption process of Pb (II) on calcite-rich clay. The clay sample with 61.0 wt% of palygorskite was found to be the most effective at removing Pb (II), with a maximum removal capacity of 74.07 mg/g at pH 6, with a contact time of 6 h and at 25 °C. Generally, the adsorption mechanism of lead over all the studied clays followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics. On the other hand, the catalytic activity of clays in the study has been tested in methanol conversion. The acidic clays, those containing high amounts of montmorillonite, showed higher selectivity to ethylene, viz., 78.9%, with a methanol conversion of 39.1% at 350 ° C and 0.1 MPa.
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spelling doaj.art-ec67f6fa0ec141a2b12b533fd6eb7b0b2023-11-21T01:12:40ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172020-12-011024901610.3390/app10249016Potential Applications in Relation to the Various Physicochemical Characteristics of Al-Hasa Oasis Clays in Saudi ArabiaIbrahim A. Al-Hawas0Salah A. Hassan1Hany M. AbdelDayem2Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Hofuf Al-Hasa 31982, Saudi ArabiaChemistry Department, Faculty of Science Ain Shams University, Abassia, Cairo 11566, EgyptChemistry Department, Faculty of Science Ain Shams University, Abassia, Cairo 11566, EgyptIn this work, various physicochemical characteristics, e.g., surface properties and mineralogical compositions, of five clays collected from different sites in the Al-Hasa oasis in Saudi Arabia have been investigated. Analysis of the mineralogical compositions of the clays in the study by X-ray diffraction indicated the coexistence of palygorskite, montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite, chlorite, calcite and quartz in different percentages. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that all studied clays exhibited dehydroxylation temperatures higher than 470 °C. On the other hand, pore size distribution analysis of clays from N<sub>2</sub> adsorption indicated the presence of micro- and narrow mesopores (of 1.3–2.8 nm). Furthermore, the capability of the different clays for removal of Pb (II) from aqueous solution has been studied. The adsorption process was described through the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich models. The Langmuir model was the most suitable compared to the other models in the case of palygorskite- and montmorillonite-rich clays. However, the Temkin model better represented the adsorption process of Pb (II) on calcite-rich clay. The clay sample with 61.0 wt% of palygorskite was found to be the most effective at removing Pb (II), with a maximum removal capacity of 74.07 mg/g at pH 6, with a contact time of 6 h and at 25 °C. Generally, the adsorption mechanism of lead over all the studied clays followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics. On the other hand, the catalytic activity of clays in the study has been tested in methanol conversion. The acidic clays, those containing high amounts of montmorillonite, showed higher selectivity to ethylene, viz., 78.9%, with a methanol conversion of 39.1% at 350 ° C and 0.1 MPa.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/24/9016Al-Hasa claypalygorskitemontmorillonitecalciteleadmethanol
spellingShingle Ibrahim A. Al-Hawas
Salah A. Hassan
Hany M. AbdelDayem
Potential Applications in Relation to the Various Physicochemical Characteristics of Al-Hasa Oasis Clays in Saudi Arabia
Applied Sciences
Al-Hasa clay
palygorskite
montmorillonite
calcite
lead
methanol
title Potential Applications in Relation to the Various Physicochemical Characteristics of Al-Hasa Oasis Clays in Saudi Arabia
title_full Potential Applications in Relation to the Various Physicochemical Characteristics of Al-Hasa Oasis Clays in Saudi Arabia
title_fullStr Potential Applications in Relation to the Various Physicochemical Characteristics of Al-Hasa Oasis Clays in Saudi Arabia
title_full_unstemmed Potential Applications in Relation to the Various Physicochemical Characteristics of Al-Hasa Oasis Clays in Saudi Arabia
title_short Potential Applications in Relation to the Various Physicochemical Characteristics of Al-Hasa Oasis Clays in Saudi Arabia
title_sort potential applications in relation to the various physicochemical characteristics of al hasa oasis clays in saudi arabia
topic Al-Hasa clay
palygorskite
montmorillonite
calcite
lead
methanol
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/24/9016
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AT salahahassan potentialapplicationsinrelationtothevariousphysicochemicalcharacteristicsofalhasaoasisclaysinsaudiarabia
AT hanymabdeldayem potentialapplicationsinrelationtothevariousphysicochemicalcharacteristicsofalhasaoasisclaysinsaudiarabia