Linear Solvation Energy Relationships Used To Evaluate Sorption Mechanisms of Volatile Organic Compounds with One Organomontmorillonite under Different Humidities

Abstract

Organic-cation-modified clays are usually used as sorbents to reduce the spread of organic contaminants in remediation or landfill sites and to remove them at contaminated sites. To effectively design organomontmorillonite to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and predict the fate of VOCs in the environment, the sorption equilibrium and mechanisms of VOCs on organomontmorillonite under different humidities are needed to be studied. In this study, organomontmorillonite was synthesized through exchanging inorganic cations by hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium (HDTMA) into montmorillonite. The surface area of organomontmorillonite was smaller than the unmodified clay because of the incorporation of organic cations into interlayers of clay. As compared to sorption coefficients in montmorillonite under different humidities, surface adsorption on organomontmorillonite surface and partition into the incorporated HDTMA in organomontmorillonite both play roles on the sorption process. The sorption coefficients of V...