Textural properties of acid activated glauconite

Glauconite of Gafsa (Tunisia) was reacted with boiling 3 M HCl solution. The structural and textural changes were studied. The porosity, the specific surface and the microporosity increased with the activation time. The bleaching effect on rapeseed oil was maximum when the glauconite was activated for 4 h. This best performance correlates with the maximum of the external specific surface area Sext=109 m2/g, and generation of the strong acid sites.