Effects of Exchange Titanium Cations on the Pore Structure and Adsorption Characteristics of Montmorillonite

Abstract

Ca montmorillonite was exchanged with titanium cations to study the effects of ion exchange on the surface area, pore structure, and adsorption properties of montmorillonite. The revolution of both the surface area and pore structure of montmorillonite was characterized, based on classical and fractal analyses of the nitrogen adsorption isotherms as well as the XRD patterns. The adsorption isotherms of hexane and benzene were then measured to identify the effects of the exchange process on the adsorption characteristics of montmorillonite. It was found that the exchange process might induce an increase in the surface area, pore size, pore volume, and pore connectivity of montmorillonite. Accompanying this was an increase in the basal spacings between the tetrahedral sheets from 13 to 16 Å. The effects of the alteration of both the surface area and pore structure on the adsorption characteristics of montmorillonite are discussed.