Separation of chlorophenols using columns of hydroxyaluminium interlayered clays

Abstract

Clay minerals play an important role in the retention, transport and chemistry of organic micropollutants in soils. There has been considerable recent interest in modelling and designing modified clays as adsorbents and catalysts for the removal of contaminants from waste waters (McBride et al., 1977; Mortland et al., 1986; Boyd et al., 1988). Organo-clays have been used as chromatographic stationary phases over the past three decades. White (1957) and Barrer & Hampton (1957) used alkylammonium montmorillonites as stationary phases and determined the selective retention of aromatic hydrocarbons relative to paraffins, naphthalenes and xylenes. Until now only organo-clays have received attention as chromatographic stationary phases (McAtee & Robbins, 1980) while their pillared variants have been totally ignored.