Physico-chemical variation in bentonite by sulfuric acid activation

The physico-chemical behavior of Iranian typical bentonite was characterized during the activation process by sulfuric acid. The main variations were studied by evaluating specific surface area, chemical and mineralogical composition, thermal gravimetric curves, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry pattern, and morphology of starting and activated samples. The effects of acid concentration, particle size distribution, activation temperature and time on specific surface area were discussed. It was found that the above parameters have significant role in the activation process. The optimum condition was also obtained for the activation of typical bentonite.