Abstract:
Oil decolorization properties of the Emirler clinoptilolite and its acid-activated forms were studied using neutralized cottonseed oil. Although the oil decolorization capacity of natural clinoptilolite is low, it can be improved by a factor of 1.8 after HCl activation under the optimized conditions (1M HCl, solid/liquid ratio = 1/20, T = 25 °C, t = 1 hour). Acid activation increases the total specific surface area from 40 to 70 m 2 /g which is mostly realized with a pore diameter range smaller than 15 nm. The bleaching capacity of acid-activated clinoptilolite is comparable to that of natural bentonitic clays but it is 1.6 times lower than the capacity of activated bleaching earths such as Tonsil and others. However, the amount of oil absorbed by clinoptilolite during the bleaching process is almost half that compared with the commonly used natural and acid-activated clays.