CLAY

Natural clay minerals are abundant and versatile, offering a broad range of applications across various industries due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Their adsorption capacity and catalytic capabilities were enhanced through specific treatments. This study examined the effect of temperature on base-activated clay from the Gegu-Egba region, Kogi State, Nigeria. Clay minerals, valued for their high surface area and structural properties, were widely used in catalysis, adsorption, and refining. In this research, the Gegu-egba clay samples were treated with 30% NaOH and heated at 200°C (F3A) and 400°C (F3B) to assess structural and chemical changes. Characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, were employed to evaluate their structural, morphological, and textural properties FTIR analysis indicates progressive dehydroxylation, with the disappearance of free hydroxyl groups and shifts in Si–O and Al–O–Si vibrations, suggesting kaolinite transformation into metakaolin. XRD results confirm a decline in kaolinite content (23% to 3.1%) and increased feldspar influence, supporting amorphization at 400°C. SEM-EDX analysis shows increased porosity and redistribution of elemental composition, notably a decrease in Si and Ti with a rise in Al content. BET surface area decreases from 249.577 m²/g at 200°C to 214.149 m²/g at 400°C, indicating structural densification. These findings emphasized the role of optimized thermal treatment in enhancing base-activated clay for industrial applications such as catalysis, adsorption and wastewater treatment