Purification and Characterization of a Natural Brazilian Clay Blend

Clay blends are products used in several industrial sectors, such as petrochemical or pharmaceutical. In this work we describe a natural clay blend occurring in northeastern Brazil. The aim was to purify and investigate their rheological and physical-chemical properties. Foster essays with water and organic solvents were utilized to access the swelling properties of the analyzed sample. Powder X-ray diffractograms (PXRD) were utilized to analyze qualitatively the clay minerals presents in the sample blend. Scanning eletronic microscopy (SEM) and Malvern techniques were used to investigate the sample clay morphology. The purification proceeding allowed separate distinct clay phases with different colors. PXRD analysis demonstrated that each clay phase presents similar structure. SEM and Malvern analysis showed distinct morphology and different size distribution for each clay phase. Our results revealed that the analyzed sample clay may be classified as smectite blend with strong potential for use in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.