Equilibrium, FTIR, scanning electron microscopy and small wide angle X-ray scattering studies of chromates adsorption on modified bentonite

The study presents a discussion about the adsorption mechanism of chromate anions on bentonite modified by hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA-Br). The formation of alkylammonium chromates: HDTMAHCrO4, (HDTMA)2Cr2O7 and to the lesser extent (HDTMA)2CrO4 at the water–bentonite interface is examined based on the Scanning Electron Microscopy and surface tension measurements. The histograms of HDTMA/Cr(VI) molar ratio on the bentonite surface, found from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) measurements, show that for the majority of points of bentonite surface the value of this ratio is in 1–2 range. FTIR spectra of modified bentonite samples show the change from gauche to trans conformation in the surfactant arrangement in the clay interlayer accompanying its concentration increase. In turn Small Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering (SWAXS) patterns evidently suggest incorporation of chromate anions into the interlamellar space of bentonite structure. q 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.