Chemical and thermal properties of organoclays derived from highly stable bentonite in sulfuric acid

•A bentonite exhibited strong stability toward the acid activation process.•Acid treatment process affected slightly the intercalated amount of C16TMA cations.•Derived organo-clays exhibited a chemical stability in HCl and NaOH solutions.•Bentonite could be a potential candidate as catalyst under harsh conditions.•Organoclays were stable in acid and base solutions, and up to 210 °C.

Generally, acid activation modified the physico-chemical properties of the raw clay minerals. The extent of these modifications depended on the type, origin of the clay minerals and the conditions of the acid activation. In this study, a bentonite exhibited a strong stability toward the acid treatment at 90 °C and at higher acid/clay mineral ratios, with slight depletion of Mg2 +, Fe3 + and Al3 + cations (about 5%). The resulting organo-acid activated clays prepared after a reaction with cetyltrimethylammonium (C16TMA) hydroxide solution, exhibited uptaken amounts of surfactants between 0.80 mmol and 0.7 mmol/g with interlayer spacings of 2.20 nm and 1.80 nm, independently of the initial concentrations of the organic molecules. These organoclays were stable in acidic and basic solutions. However, after heating at 200 °C, the interlayer spacing shrunk due to the degradation of the organic surfactants as indicated by thermogravimetric analysis. The rehydration of the calcined organoclays at temperatures below 200 °C, did not lead to the increase of the basal spacings, due to change in configuration of the C16TMA cations.

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