Microstructural modification of diatomite by acid treatment, high-speed shear, and ultrasound

• DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2012.08.005
• Publication Date: 2012-08-16T16:33:30Z
• Authors: Guilong Zhang; Dongqing Cai; Min Wang; Caili Zhang; Jing Zhang; Zhengyan Wu
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology

Three modification approaches including acid treatment, high-speed shear and ultrasound on the microstructure of diatomite were developed, in order to enlarge the pore size and decrease the bulk density of diatomite and then make diatomite more suitable to be catalyst carrier. The modification effects were investigated and the results indicated that all three approaches had significant cooperative effects on the modification of diatomite. Acid treatment could remove impurities, mainly metallic oxides, of diatomite due to the acid wash effect. High-speed shear and ultrasound were both able to dredge the clogged pores because of the strong centrifugal force in shear process and cavitation effect in ultrasound process resulting in the improvement of the pore size distribution and the remarkable decrease of the bulk density.