Instrumental Characterization of Montmorillonite Clay by FT-IR and XRD from J.K.U.A.T Farm, in the Republic of Kenya

Abstract

Montmorillonite clay is a phyllosilicate mineral belonging to smectite clay group with a wide range of applications. This study demonstrates the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) characterization of raw montmorillonite clay from J.K.U.A.T farm located in Juja, Kiambu county in the Republic of Kenya. The raw montmorillonite clays from different locations contained impurities and were subjected to mineral acids of different concentrations in order to enhance the analysis. The structural composition was carried out using FT-IR which revealed presence of various functional groups of Si-O, AL-OH and Si-O-AL as the major constituents. Mineralogical composition analysis was carried out using XRD and the patterns confirmed presence of aluminium oxide and silicon dioxide. Peaks of the resultant montmorillonite clay samples were compared with the published literature. This further confirmed the usefulness of spectroscopic technique in determination of crystalline nature of montmorillonite clay from J.K.U.A.T farm, Juja in the Republic of Kenya.

Keywords: Instrumental characterization; FT-IR, XRD.