The Effect of Chlorhydric Acid Activation on the Physico-Chemical and Rheological Properties of A Kaolinite

The kaolinite (Douala, Cameroun) (named D0M) was activated with HCl 0.5M at 25°C for 24h (named D05M) to obtain optimum parameters for imparting a maximum power toward facial mask. The natural and activated samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Dispersive Energy Spectroscopy (XDE), X Fluorescence (XF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Nitrogen adsorption-desorption, pore size distribution (PSD), and rheological properties of the samples were determined. The results show that the acid activation implore the specific surface area from 55.05 m 2 /g to 61.23 m 2 /g, whereas total pore volume is 0.228ml/g before acid activation and 0.248 ml/g after activation. The essential elements such as calcium, Magnesium and sodium not change considerably; the superficial properties are not modified. Rheological analyzes show that viscosity increase with acid activation and be more benefit as facial mask application. Keyswords: kaolinite, physico-chemical, rheological properties.