Adsorption of the herbicide simazine by montmorillonite modified with natural organic cations

Three organic cations with a natural origin (L-carnitine, L-cystine dimethyl ester, and thiamine) were introduced at different loadings in the interlayer of a low-charge montmorillonite, and the performance of the modified clays as adsorbents of the herbicide simazine was investigated using batch adsorption-desorption experiments. The organic cations were selected on the basis of their natural origin and the presence of diverse functional groups in their structures, which was expected to influence simazine adsorption. Elemental analysis and spectroscopy results demonstrated the presence of the organic cations in the modified montmorillonites and their entrance in the clay mineral interlayers. Batch adsorption results showed that modification with thiamine (K(f) = 96-138), cystine dimethyl ester (K(f) = 400-753), and especially carnitine (K(f) > 10 000) enhanced the adsorption of simazine by montmorillonite (K(f) = 28-47). It appeared that the specific interlayer microenvironment provided by the functional groups of each organic cation was an important factor controlling the adsorption efficiency of the modified clays. For carnitine and cystine dimethyl ester, the increase in simazine adsorption was considerably greater than that observed after montmorillonite modification with "classical" alkylammonium cations, such as phenyltrimethylammonium or hexadecyltrimethylammonium. This illustrated how modification of smectitic clay minerals with natural organic cations containing appropriate functional groups can be a useful strategy to improve the performance of organoclays for the removal of specific organic pollutants from the environment.