Variations in the sorptive properties of organovermiculites modified with hexadecyltrimethylammonium and hexadecylpyridinium cations

Abstract

Organovermiculites with three different loadings of organic matter were prepared using hexadecylpyridinium (HDP) cations. The prepared materials were characterized with XRD analysis enabling the total organic carbon content to be derived. The naphthalene sorptive properties were also tested. The material behavior was compared with organovermiculites modified with hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) cations. The experiments showed that HDP vermiculite is a better sorptive material for aqueous solutions as compared to naphthalene vapor which is less efficient than found with HDTMA vermiculite. Simulation of a possible HDP ordering in the vermiculite interlayer gallery was performed using a molecular modeling environment.