Analytical Characterization of Eocene Deposits for the Identification of Dolomitic-Palygorskite in Jebel Rheouis, Central Tunisia

Palygorskite is a kind of naturally occurring nanorod-like silicate mineral with a diameter of about 20–40 nm and length of 0.5–5 μm. It has received increasing attention in various fields such as polymer composites, drug delivery carrier, catalyst supporter, adsorbent (Jamoussi et al. in Clay Miner 38: 187–199 2003). In Tunisia, Eocene sediments present important facies variations from South to North, changing from continental to deep marine deposits (Xu et al. in Appl Clay Sci 95: 365–370 2014).