Jelena Purenović

Synthesis of composite by application of mixed Fe, Mg (hydr)oxides coatings onto bentonite--a use for the removal of Pb(II) from water.

The procedure for obtaining a bentonite based composite involves the application of mixed Fe and Mg hydroxides coatings onto bentonite particles in aqueous suspension and subsequent thermal treatment of the solid phase at 498 K. Structural and textural modifications of montmorillonite which occurred during the synthesis of composite were confirmed by XRD technique and N(2) adsorption at 77K. The composite structure was found to be less ordered, while its specific surface area was about two times higher than the specific surface area of the starting/native bentonite. The effectiveness of the composite in Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions at different initial concentrations, pH and ionic strengths of the solutions was examined. The equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed using three widely applied isotherms: Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich. The composite effectively removes both ionic and colloidal forms of Pb(II) from water and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained from the Langmuir equation was 95.88 mg/g. The main mechanisms of Pb(II) removal at low pH values were ion-exchange and outer-sphere surface complexation.

MICROSTRUCTURE CHARACTERIZATION OF POROUS MICROALLOYED ALUMINIUM-SILICATE CERAMICS

Kaolinite and bentonite clay powders mixed with active additives, based on Mg(NO 3 ) 2 and Al(NO 3 ) 2 , sintered at high temperatures produce very porous ceramics with microcrystalline and amorphous regions and highly developed metalized surfaces (mainly with magnesium surplus). Microstructure investigations have revealed non-uniform and highly porous structure with broad distribution of grain size, specifically shaped grains and high degree of agglomeration. The ceramics samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and IR spectroscopy analysis, prior and after treatment in “synthetic water”, i.e. in aqueous solution of arsenic-salt. Grain size distribution for untreated and treated samples was done with software SemAfore 4. It has shown great variety in size distribution of grains from clay powders to sintered samples.

Processing parameter influence on BaTiO3 ceramic fractal microstructure and dielectric characteristics

Abstract In the process of BaTiO3 ceramics consolidation, technological parameters like sintering temperature, pressing pressure and additives significantly determine the microstructure and electrical properties. Slight change of a particular sintering parameter can considerably change the microstructure as well as the electrical parameters. Structural complex grain–contact–grain is observed on Ho doped BaTiO3 ceramics, sintered from 1320 to 1380°C. The new configuration model of ceramic grain contact surfaces is presented in this paper. This model is based on Coble’s two-sphere approximation and its generalisation to ellipsoidal geometry. The integral contact surface directly influences the value of the total ceramic capacity. Fractal method is applied for intergrain contact analysis. Ceramic grains are considered to have fractal surface (as it is elsewhere in nature) and, therefore, fractal structure influences on the dielectric properties of BaTiO3 ceramics. The obtained results give better understanding of ceramic microstructure with the final aim to establish significant interrelation among processing, structural and electrical parameters.