Abstract
The adsorption of ethylene (C2H4) on five clay minerals (sepiolite, two kaolinites and two bentonites) and on forms treated with 1 M HCl solution (SH, K1H, K2H, B1H and B2H) was investigated. Adsorption isotherms for ethylene on all clay minerals were obtained at 4 °C and 20 °C up to 37 kPa. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TG/DTA) and N2 adsorption analysis were used for structural and thermal characterization. It was found that the extent to which ethylene gas was adsorbed by natural and acid-treated sepiolites (0.424–0.859 mmol/g) was higher than that exhibited by natural and acid-treated bentonites (0.068–0.144 mmol/g) and by kaolinites (0.014–0.061 mmol/g) at both temperatures. The uptake of ethylene on the acid-treated clays increased in the order K1H < K2H < B1H < B2H < SH.