831-5456 Descriptions of available projects . Primary interest is in the use of clays as ion exchange media for heavy metal ions. The studies presently being conducted concern the syntheses and applications of pillared clays.
Clays are silica minerals with a two dimensional sheet structure.
It is possible to force adjacent layers of clay apart by reacting the clay with inorganic polymeric ions. These ions when calcined form oxide pillars between the clay layers such that pores of molecular dimensions are created. Presently a project funded by the US EPA is investigating the adsorption properties of aluminum pillared montmorillonite. The major objective of these studies is to produce adsorbents which are useful for removing pollutants from both environmental and industrial aqueous streams. This work involves synthesis, and characterization of pillared clays by x-ray powder diffraction, and surface area determination by nitrogen adsorption.