Organic matter in sewage, soil, and aquatic systems may enhance or inhibit the infectivity of viruses associated with particulates (e.g., clay minerals, sediments). The purpose of this investigation was to identify the mechanisms whereby organic matter, in the form of defined proteins, affects the adsorption of reovirus to the clay minerals kaolinite and montmorillonite and its subsequent infec...

Adsorption mechanisms of Pb on montmorillonite were investigated by conducting equilibrium and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy studies. Data from the batch equilibrium studies indicate that Pb could be adsorbing via two mechanisms, depending on ionic strength. At low ionic strength (I = 0.006 M) Pb adsorption is pH-independent: 97% of the available Pb was removed from soluti...

Both Fe(III)-bearing clay minerals and humic acids (HAs) are abundant in the soils and sediments. Previous studies have shown that bioreduction of structural Fe(III) in clay minerals could be accelerated by adding anthraquinone compound as a redox-active surrogate of HAs. However, a quinoid analogue could not reflect the adsorption and complexation properties of HA, and little is known about th...

-New and published experimental data on hydrothermally treated (2-kbar water pressure, 300-400~ natural clay minerals is used to construct phase diagrams in composition and pressure-temperature space which define the phase relations of mixed layering solid solution in dioctahedral (illitemontmorillonite) and trioctahedral expanding chlorite and corrensite-like minerals. Three major relations ar...

Nanocomposites of PMMA+MMT Brazilian clays were developed by mechanical mixing in co-rotational twinscrew extrusion and injection molding with varying weight fraction of MMT Brazilian clays. The clays were purchased in crude form and then washed and purified to extract the organic materials and contaminants. Dynamic friction and wear rate of these composites were studied as a function of concen...

Surfaces of Wyoming SWy-2-Na-montmorillonite were modified using ultrasonic and hydrothermal methods through the intercalation and adsorption of the cationic surfactant octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (ODTMA). Changes in the surfaces and structure were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TG), and electron microscopy. The ultrasonic preparation method results in a h...

The influence of humic acid (HA) on Ni(II) sorption to Ca-montmorillonite was examined by using a combination of batch sorption experiments and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy technique. The sorption of Ni(II) on HA-montmorillonite hybrids is strongly dependent on pH and temperature. At low pH, the sorption of Ni(II) is mainly dominated by Ni-HA-montmorillonite and...

BACKGROUND Metalloporphyrin ions, with planar shape, have been known to intercalate horizontally and diagonally between montmorillonite layers. Perpendicular intercalation inside montmorillonite has not been reported earlier. This work aims at achieving perpendicular intercalation inside montmorillonite in natural clays. Possible intercalation inside other forms of natural clay will also be inv...

-The sorption properties of Co, Cu, Ni, and Ca were studied in a mixed mineral suspension of synthetic MnO2 and Wyoming montmofillonite. The distribution of the sorbed cations between the two solid phases was measured by indirect chemical fractionation with acidified NH2OH-HC1 and by direct X-ray spectroscopic analysis of mineral particles using electron microscopy. Electron microscope and NH2O...

Water purification is of extreme importance worldwide. p-Nitrophenol was used as a test chemical to design and test an organoclay for the removal of p-nitrophenol from an aqueous solution. Synthesis of the organoclay with methyltrioctadecylammonium bromide [CH(3)(CH(2))(17)](3)NBr(CH(3)) labeled as MTOAB results in multiple expansions of the montmorillonite clay from 1.24 nm to a maximum of 5.2...