Levantamento de aplicações da diatomita como suporte catalítico

Abstract

Diatomite is a natural material, which has numerous applications due to its physical and chemical properties after processing. It undergoes superficial changes after heat treatment at high temperatures, presenting properties that allow its application in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, textile and cosmetic industries. It is currently used in industry as acoustic insulation, filter aid and industrial load. This material is found in abundance in the world and mainly in the northeastern region of Brazil. By presenting environmentally correct characteristics, it has aroused the interest of several researchers around the planet. In this work, a brief review of the literature on diatomite and its applications was carried out. Two samples of the color diatomite (white and pink) were also chosen to undergo chemical treatment and were then characterized by X-ray Fluorescence techniques (XRF), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TG/DTG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), for possible application as catalytic support. The results of the XRF analyzes indicate that the chemical components found in the samples are diatomite and confirmed by the diffractograms that presented the quartz (SiO2) and cristobalite (SiO2), phases of the study material. It´s possible through the TG/DTG technique a higher thermal stability of the pink material compared to white diatomite. From the SEM analysis, it was possible to observe the navicular shape present characteristic of the diatomite