Structural textural study and physicochemical properties of a Tunisian locally clay mineral

A. Ben Othman, F. Ayari, S. Khlifi, R. Abidi

Bentonite clay minerals belonging to the smectite group have a wide range of chemical and industrial uses. The structure and chemical composition, exchangeable ion type and small crystal size of smectite are responsible for several properties, including a large chemically active surface area, a high cation exchange capacity and inter-lamellar surface having unusual hydration characteristics it has hydrophilic property in nature. A sample collected from Ain-Berda (North Tunisia), was studied by some physico-chemical methods. Results of X-ray diffraction, chemical analysis, Infrared Spectroscopy, TEM, SEM, X-Fluorescence, Granulometry, Thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), cation exchange capacities, specific and total surface, confirm the general smectite character of the collected sample.