- Title
- Copper-complexed clay/poly-acrylic acid composites: extremely efficient adsorbents of ammonia gas
- Creator
- Liu, Erming; Sarkar, Binoy; Wang, Liang; Naidu, Ravi
- Relation
- Applied Clay Science Vol. 121-122, p. 154-161
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2015.12.012
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Work reported in this manuscript takes into consideration the possible use of NH₃ gas by terrorists and the potential for an effective and rapid removal of such toxic substance from air using a modified clay material. In this study, a series of clay/polymer composites were synthesised for ammonia gas (NH₃) adsorption. The adsorbents were prepared by polymerisation of acrylic acid with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as cross-linker in the presence of a large amount of highly dispersed clay nanoparticles, followed by interaction with copper ions (Cu2+). Two kinds of clays were used. One was an acid-treated bentonite that had a specific surface area (SSA) of 395 m²/g and the other was natural palygorskite with a SSA of 87 m²/g. The materials were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The materials' ability to remove NH₃ was investigated using NH₃ breakthrough dynamic test while the strength of NH₃ retention was characterised by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) coupled with FTIR. The results indicate that clay/poly-acrylic acid composites are highly efficient adsorbents of NH₃ after binding with Cu2+. Trapping NH₃ on such adsorbents can lead to colour change and this makes it possible to predict the lifetime of the adsorption bed visually. In addition, the result of NH₃ release from the material following adsorption showed that majority of the adsorbed NH₃ desorbed at temperature above 180°C. The clay/polymer composites can potentially be used in air filters. They may provide an effective and cheap way for removing NH₃ from contaminated air.
- Subject
- clay functionalisation; clay/polymer composite; ammonia adsorption; dynamic breakthrough test; contaminated air
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1337556
- Identifier
- uon:27868
- Identifier
- ISSN:0169-1317
- Language
- eng
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