Research Projects

The research aims to develop organically modified clays with unique properties from Indian clay resources, which are currently used for low-value applications. The modified clays can be used for absorbing organic pollutants from wastewater streams, as photostable organic pigment for paint, and for biomedical applications. The scientific objectives include generating pure phase clays from raw Indian clays, surface modifying them with engineered functional molecules, and studying their efficacy for real-life applications. The challenge lies in optimizing the purification protocol for Indian clays and intercalating clays with low CEC. The research will address these challenges through the synthesis of customised organic molecules, novel intercalation strategies, and innovative clay processing steps. The main experiments will include complete mineralogical and chemical characterization of Indian Bentonite and Kaolinitic clays, purification of raw clays to generate pure phase Montmorillonite and Kaolinite, intercalation of pure clays with different synthetic organic molecules, characterization of organically-modified clays, and application of the clays for pollution abatement, as photostable organic pigment for paint, and biomedical applications. The success of this endeavor will establish a protocol for purification of Indian clays for the preparation of organically modified clays, validate the choice of method and intercalant functionality for the proposed applications, and serve as a proof-of-concept for the development and application of organically modified clays from Indian clays.