CHARACTERISATION OF ATTAPULGITE AND ITS COMPARISON WITH DIATOMACEOUS EARTH ON THE BASIS OF .......

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally soft, siliceous sedimentary mineral with a fine white to off-white powder, whereas attapulgite is a naturally occurring crystalline hydrated magnesium alumino-silicate with unusual colloidal and sorptive properties. The study's major goal is to define attapulgite's physicochemical properties and sorption behaviour, as well as compare them to that of diatomaceous earth. Physicochemical parameters such as mineralogy (XRD), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), phosphorus retention index (PRI), exchangeable cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and sorption studies (NH4+ and P sorption) were investigated in both materials. Attapulgite comprises primary palygorskite and kaolin with trace halite (NaCl), whereas diatomaceous earth contains major quartz, minor kaolinite, and halite, according to mineralogy data. The lower Ca/Mg ratio (1) indicates that both materials are deficient in calcium. Attapulgite is weakly leached due to its greater individual base saturation percentage, suggesting that it may be able to limit soluble cation leaching from sandy soils in Western Australia. In comparison to NH4+ sorption, both materials have good phosphorus sorption capacity, which can be enhanced by treating them with other cations/anions or adding organic matter. This early analysis reveals that attapulgite can be used as a slow release fertiliser for sandy soils in Western Australia after being treated with phosphate, but more research is needed to determine its effect on nutrient availability to plants and leachability.

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