The aim of this study was to help drive the Tunisian construction industry towards a more sustainable approach given the existence of abundant local raw material deposits that could be exploited for the production of low-CO2 binders. Various clay sediments from the Kebili region (southern Tunisia) were characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and geotechnical tests to determine their suitability for the preparation of geopolymer binders. The clays consist of illite and kaolinite with other accessory minerals. To test the possibility of using these materials as precursors for the production of low-CO2 and low-cost geopolymers, the raw samples were calcined and activated by addition of solid sodium silicate. Compressive strength tests performed on four alkali-activated clays show that promising mechanical performance may be achieved, with mechanical strength values as high as 25 MPa after 7 days, depending on the clay composition. The mechanical strength is related to the SiO2:Al2O3 and Al2O3:(NaO2 + K2O) ratios. Careful selection of the raw materials is, therefore, an essential step in the exploitation of clay deposits to be used for the production of ecological materials such as geopolymers.

Tannic acid-stabilized silver nanoparticles were synthesized in situ on halloysite clay nanotubes. The synthesis strategy included simple steps of tannic acid adsorption on clay nanotubes and further particle formation from silver salt solution. Pristine halloysite nanotubes as well as amino-modified clays were used for silver stabilization in water or ethanol. The materials were tested for antibacterial performance using three different methods. All of the materials produced showed antimicrobial activity. The pristine halloysite-based material with ~5 nm particles produced using ethanol as the solvent and tannic acid as the reducing agent showed the greatest antibacterial activity against Serratia marcescens. The materials were tested in vivo on Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes to ensure their safety, and they showed no negative effects on nematode growth and life expectancy.

In this study, for the first time Bacillus methylotrophicus Y37 cellulase was purified and recovered in a single step by three-phase partitioning (TPP). The optimal purification parameters for TPP were 40% ammonium sulfate saturation (m/v) with a 1.0:1.0 (v/v) ratio of crude extract:t-butanol, which gave 5.8-fold purification with 155% recovery of cellulase. Non-covalent immobilization of the partitioned cellulase was performed using bentonite as a support material. The activity observed in the 20th experiment was 100%. The optimal pH values and temperatures determined for the free enzyme and the immobilized enzyme were 5.0 and 6.0 and 45°C and 50°C, respectively. The Arrhenius activation energy (Ea) of the immobilized enzyme was lower than that of the free enzyme, whereas the Michaelis–Menten constant (Km) and maximum velocity (Vm) of the immobilized enzyme increased. The turnover number (kcat) and the catalytic performance (kcat/Km) demonstrated the improved catalytic properties of the immobilized enzyme compared to the free enzyme. Immobilization of cellulase is thermodynamically preferred.

In this investigation, Maghnia (Ma) and Mostaganem (Ms) bentonite clays, mined from west Algeria, with no prior affinity for anionic dyes, were modified by simple ion exchange with aqueous Fe3+ solutions, followed by calcination at 500°C. The resulting materials, Fe-Ma and Fe-Ms, respectively, were employed as adsorbents for methyl orange. The starting materials and the two adsorbents were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area and X-ray fluorescence and by determining the point of zero charge. The effects of various variables, such as initial dye concentration, contact time, adsorbent dose, initial pH and adsorption temperature, were studied. The kinetics were well described by the pseudo-second-order model and the mechanism was determined from the intraparticle diffusion model, while corresponding isotherms fitted better to the Freundlich model. Thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process was endothermic, spontaneous and physical in nature, accompanied by an increase of entropy.

The production of pottery in the traditional manner using local raw materials can provide insights into the provenance of ancient artefacts. This study uses mineralogical analysis to evaluate the raw clays and tempers used for pottery production in Zlakusa (western Serbia). Particle-size distribution, plasticity, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and differential thermal analysis techniques were applied. The mineral phases identified in the raw clay sample are kaolinite/halloysite, mica/illite, smectite, quartz, paragonite, feldspar, calcite and hematite. The clay body sample is a mixture of raw clay and crushed calcite in a ~50:50 ratio, which was confirmed using various techniques. We have also considered and investigated the technological potential of the sampled materials, taking into consideration their actual and potential applications. It was confirmed that the clay body may be used in the manufacture of bricks and pottery, but its industrial application is limited by the paste recipe.

This study evaluates the rare earth element (REE) geochemistry in altered trachyandesitic ignimbrites, tuff and lava flows in the Hashtjin area by assessing chondrite-normalized REE patterns and Y/Ho geochemical ratios. Modifications in the REE patterns took place along altered fault zones that were affected by hypogene and supergene alterations. The precursor volcanic and pyroclastic rocks contain phenocrysts of plagioclase accompanied by augite, zircon, apatite and pyrite. Based on X-ray diffraction analysis, the main mineral assemblages of the altered units consist of kaolinite as the main clay mineral, SiO2 polymorphs (quartz and cristobalite) and anatase as a minor constituent. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of argillic samples reveal fractionation of light REEs (LREEs) compared to heavy REEs (HREEs), together with a marked Eu anomaly and a weak W-type tetrad effect related to the weak non-charge radius control (CHARAC) behaviour of REEs and slightly higher Y/Ho and Zr/Hf ratios. The relationship between the Y/Ho and Zr/Hf ratios and recognizable T3 and T4 effects (tetrad effect) suggests that an increasing degree of water–rock interaction occurred during hypogene alteration processes by acidic hydrothermal fluids that were overprinted by supergene alteration. Water–rock interaction and adsorption by Mn-oxides and clay minerals are considered to have played important roles in determining the close to non-CHARAC behaviour of REEs during the argillic alteration of the pyroclastic rocks in the Hashtjin area.

The influence of excess Al2O3 on 3:2 mullite produced from α-Al2O3 and pyrophyllite powder was examined. A mixture consisting of 28 wt.% dehydroxylated pyrophyllite and 72 wt.% α-Al2O3 was milled in an attrition mill. The milled powders were sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1600°C for 10, 20 and 30 min. Subsequently, the samples were heated at 1350°C for 2 h to determine the influence of the excess Al2O3 on the microstructure. No glassy phase was detected in the sample containing 72 wt.% Al2O3 and sintered at 1600°C for 20 min. The sample with 72 wt.% Al2O3 had greater hardness and fracture toughness compared to 3:2 mullite. The greatest hardness and fracture toughness of 12.43 GPa and 2.71 MPa m–0.5, respectively, were obtained in the sample containing 72 wt.% Al2O3 sintered at 1600°C for 20 min.

Six clays from various deposits were studied for their use in the production of structural clay products. The clays were characterized using chemical (X-ray fluorescence), mineralogical (X-ray diffraction) and thermal (differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetry) analyses. Particle-size distribution was determined by laser diffraction, plasticity by the Pfefferkorn method and the residue by the sieve-size method. Next, specimens were formed by extrusion and characterized by their linear thermal shrinkage (on drying and firing), water absorption, bulk density, porosity and compressive strength. The clays were, in general, suitable for the manufacture of structural ceramics, mainly bricks. The clays from flooded pits (AV1 and AV2) were classified as floodplain clays and alluvial clays. The clays mined in mountainous regions (AM1 and AM2, as well as AV1) were characterized as siliceous clays due to the abundance of free SiO2 phases.

The adsorption and retention of phosphates in soil systems is of wide environmental importance, and understanding the surface chemistry of halloysite (a common soil clay mineral) is also of prime importance in many emerging technological applications of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). The adsorption of phosphate anions on tubular halloysite (7 Å) has been studied to gain a greater understanding of the mechanism and kinetics of adsorption on the surface of HNTs. Two well-characterized tubular halloysites with differing morphologies have been studied: one polygonal prismatic and one cylindrical, where the cylindrical form has a greater surface area and shorter tube length. Greater phosphate adsorption of up to 42 μmol g–1 is observed on the cylindrical halloysite when compared to the polygonal prismatic sample, where adsorption reached a maximum of just 15 μmol g–1 compared to a value for platy kaolinite (KGa-2) of 8 μmol g–1. Phosphate adsorption shows strong pH dependence, and the differences in phosphate sorption between the prismatic and cylindrical morphologies suggest that phosphate absorption does not occur at the same pH-dependent alumina edge sites and that the lumen may have a greater influence on uptake for the cylindrical form.

The interaction between a basic dye, rhodamine B, and a separated fine fraction from natural clay was studied. Chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the predominance of beidellite in the fine clay fraction. The interaction of rhodamine B with the fine clay fraction showed that sorption was fast and followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The comparison between sorbed rhodamine B amounts as a function of the various experimental parameters such as pH, sorbent mass, dye concentration and the presence of competing ions suggests that: (1) the sorption process is largely pH-dependent; (2) significant competition is observed between the dye and the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions; (3) the sorption proceeds, principally, by a cation-exchange mechanism; and (4) the sorption capacity of the fine fraction in the presence of competing cations such as Ca2+ is ~0.28 mmol g–1.