Evaluation of the Potential of Using an Omani Attapulgite as a Sorbent in Treatment of Contaminated Water

The goal of this study is to investigate and develop a cost-effective procedure for the treatment of contaminated water by sorption technology using an Omani clay mineral. Attapulgite (Palygorskite) is a clay mineral that exists in the Sultanate of Oman in huge reserves in two deposits in the southern part of Oman. In this paper, we present our first findings about this important clay in the region stressing its great potential as adsorbent to certain contaminants in water. The XRD analysis indicates that the purity of some selected samples of attapulgite clay is very high (about 70% of the clay minerals are palygorskite and 30% Kaolinite). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images clearly support this conclusion. The clay cation exchange capacity is 19 meq/100g and the specific surface area is estimated to be 125 m2/g. Batch adsorption studies were performed to evaluate the adsorption performance of Methlyene Blue (MB) and Crystal Violet (CV) dyes on the local clay mineral. The results obtained from these laboratory-scale adsorption tests indicate the strong adsorption capability of the Omani attapulgite in reducing the level of concentration of these two dyes in water.