Synthesis and Characterization of Surfactant-Modified Clays for Adsorption Applications

ClayClaysisCharacterizationcommonlySurfactantusedModified claytoAdsorption remove pollutants like heavy metalsHeavy metals from water. It has excellent properties, such as high cation exchange capacity and a large specific surface area. Various techniques can be used to improve these materials, including organic modification using polymers, calcination, acid activation, and modification through surfactantSurfactantadsorptionAdsorption. This research aims to discuss recent findings on enhancing clayClaysmineralsMineral through surfactantSurfactant modification. Following X-ray diffraction analysis (XRDX-ray Diffraction (XRD)), the shift of basal spacing (001) value of claysClays from 14.83 to 19.63 Å, or 7.12 to 7.34 Å indicating the successful alteration of claysClays by surfactantSurfactant, while From the FTIR spectrum of surfactantSurfactant-modified clayModified clay, the appearance of new vibration bands between 2850 and 2926 cm⁻¹, corresponding to the asymmetric and symmetric vibration of the CH which indicates the successful interaction of surfactantsSurfactant onto clayClays interlayer. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis revealed that the interaction of the surfactantSurfactant with the clayClays increases the interlayer spacing, resulting in a larger pore diameter. These results indicate structural changes in the clayClays after modification. The findings suggest that surfactantSurfactant-modified claysModified clay have improved adsorptionAdsorption properties, making them suitable for environmental applications.