Characterization and adsorption properties of diatomaceous earth modified by hydrofluoric acid etching

This work was a study of the chemical modification of diatomaceous earth (DE) using hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. Under the experimental conditions investigated, it was found that HF under controlled conditions significantly etched inward into the interior of the existing pore structure in the clay mineral due to its high content of silica, leaving a framework possessing a larger BET surface area (ca. 10 m2 g(-1)) in comparison with that (ca. 4 m2 g(-1)) of its precursor (i.e., DE). Further, the results indicated that the HF concentration is a more determining factor in creating more open pores than other process parameters (temperature, holding time, and solid/liquid ratio). This observation was also in close agreement with the examinations by the silicon analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The adsorption kinetics and the adsorption isotherm of methylene blue onto the resulting clay adsorbent can be well described by a pseudo-second-order reaction model and the Freundlich model, respectively.