EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON ACID ACTIVATED CLAY FROM DANGARA CLAY REGION IN KOGI STATE

ABSTRACT

Natural clay samples from the DANGARA region of Abuja were treated with acid activation at two distinct temperatures (200°C and 400°C), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), and Brunauer-EmmetTeller analysis was used to look at the structural changes that the clay underwent after activation. To further measure the degree of activation, cation exchange capacity (CEC) evaluations and specific surface area measurements were carried out. The results demonstrated that the acid activation process was significantly influenced by temperature. The clay displayed larger surface area and pore size at lower higher temperatures (400°C), which was 290.215m2 g -1 and was higher than the temperatures (200°C), which was 231.925m2 g -1 because impurities were eliminated and the interlayer spacing was enlarged and also significant increase in the pore volume which was 0.090 for the untreated clay, 0.132 for the acid treated clay at 2000C and 0.143 for the acid treated clay at 4000 c. Simultaneously, Analysis from FT-IR studies shows new functional groups evolved on the clay surface. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the clay was similarly affected by temperature with a significant variation in element weight percentage seen at 200°C and 400°C.