BTEX SORPTION BY ORGANO-CLAYS - COSORPTIVE ENHANCEMENT AND EQUIVALENCE OF INTERLAYER COMPLEXES

Aqueous organic contaminants, such as gasoline-derived aromatics, are effectively sorbed by organo-clays. Organo-clays were prepared from mo ntmorillonite (SWy-1, SAz-1) and vermiculite (VSC) clay minerals by ex changing quaternary, alkylammonium cations for the inorganic exchange cations; thus, a variety of clay-charge/organiccation combinations wer e formed. Dodecyltrimethylammonium (DTMA), hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA), didodecyldimethylammonium (DDDMA), and dioctadecyldimethylamm onium (DODMA) organic cations were used. An aqueous mixture of BTEX (b enzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) consistent with unleaded gasol ine was used to relate organo-clay sorptivity to structure. Greater so rption of the BTEX mixture constituents than the pure compounds occurr ed when total sorbed BTEX loadings on the organo-clays exceeded 10 g/k g. A cosorption effect caused curvilinear isotherms and enhanced BTEX mixture sorption; BTEX sorption increased the organo-clay organic matt er content, which promoted additional BTEX sorption. The sorptivities of the organo-clays were generally proportional to the organic C conte nts; although SAz-DDDMA and VSC-HDTMA, with 20 to 30% less C, had twic e the BTEX sorptivity of SAz-DODMA and VSC-DDDMA. No relationship was found between surface area and BTEX sorption. A straight-chain alkyl c ation conferred five times greater BTEX sorption to an organo-clay tha n did a comparable cyclic alkyl cation. This suggests that rearrangeme nts in the alkyl groups may facilitate sorption in a manner analogous to solvation. Organo-clay BTEX sorptivity was governed by the type of alkylammonium complex; a paraffin complex with a 25.4 to 27.6 Angstrom basal spacing was optimal. Organo-clays of similar basal spacing prep ared using different clays and alkylammonium cations had equivalent so rptive phases. Selection of an appropriate combination of clay and org anic cation can optimize contaminant sorption by organo-clays.