Bentonite from the Nalchik deposit and the possibilities of its use as a cationic adsorbent

https://doi.org/10.58224/2619-0575-2025-8-2-2
Chemical, mineralogical, granulometric and structural-morphological characteristics of bentonite clays of the Nalchik deposit have been established. The elemental composition contains B (trace amounts), Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Fe. It has been revealed that the mineralogical composition of the studied clay is complex of montmorillonite, clinoptilolite and low-temperature trigonal quartz. The montmorillonite content is 53.0 ± 1.1 wt.%. The maximum particle size is 198.7-210.1 μm, the proportion of such particles is 0.69 wt.%. The minimum particle size is 0.6-0.9 μm, the proportion of such particles is 1.22 wt.%. According to the results of differential thermal analysis, 4 endoeffects were recorded, the total mass loss on sample calcination was 16.5%, taking into account the loss of free water - 9.5 wt.%. The adsorption characteristics of the analyzed bentonite were studied using “model” pollutants – nickel (II) cations and methylene blue dye. It was found that the adsorption isotherm of nickel (II) ions belongs to class L type 3, and the adsorption isotherm of methylene blue belongs to class L type 2 according to the Gils classification. The results of the study showed that bentonite clay from the Nalchik deposit is capable of purifying wastewater to the maximum permissible concentration of cationic pollutants.
Objectives: to investigate the material composition and adsorption properties of bentonite clay from the Nalchik deposit.
Methods. To determine the elemental, phase and granulometric composition, the following equipment was used: transmission electron microscope JEM-2100 (Jeol, Japan), diffractometer Ultima IV (Rigaku, Japan), combined analyzer TG/DTG/DTA SDT Q600 (TA Instruments, Inc., USA), particle size analyzer Microtrac S3500 (USA), as well as laboratory instruments and reagents.
Results. The mineralogical composition of the clay sample from the Nalchik deposit was established; the mass content of montmorillonite was determined. The granulometric composition was studied. The adsorption processes of the clay sample in relation to the organic dye methylene blue and nickel (II) ions were investigated.
Conclusions. The mineralogical composition of the clay sample from the Nalchik deposit was determined: montmorillonite, clinoptilolite and low-temperature trigonal quartz. The montmorillonite content is 53.0 ± 1.1 wt.%. The maximum particle size of the fraction in the studied clay sample is 198.7-210.1 μm, the proportion of such particles is 0.69 wt.%. The minimum particle size of the fraction is 0.6-0.9 μm, the proportion of particles is 1.22 wt.%. The adsorption processes of the clay sample in relation to the organic dye methylene blue and nickel (II) ions were studied. It was shown that the clay of the Nalchik deposit is capable of purifying wastewater from the specified cationic pollutants to the regulatory requirements.
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Vezentsev A.I., Efendiev B.Sh., Nesterova L.L., Shaidorova G.M., Vyalkin A.A. Bentonite of the Nalchik deposit and the possibilities of its use as a cationic adsorbent. Chemical Bulletin. 2025. 8 (2). 2. https://doi.org/10.58224/2619-0575-2025-8-2-2