Chemists Create New Materials Based on Clay Mineral Halloysite

12:31, September 10, 2018

Scientists received a nine million rubles grant

The grant of the Russian Foundation for Fundamental Research was awarded to the scientists of the Institute of Chemical Engineering of Ural Federal University for the project "Directional design of new halloysite based adsorbents for hydrometallurgy and biotechnology".

‘Our work is interdisciplinary. On the one hand, we are creating a new technology for extracting metals for non-ferrous metallurgy, such as zinc, copper, nickel, cobalt, iron and gold. On the other hand, we create new heterogeneous enzymatic catalysts for the hydrolytic conversion of natural polysaccharides,' said Elena Kovaleva, the head of the project, Professor of the Academic Department of Organic Synthesis Technology. ‘The purpose of the research is the synthesis of new adsorbents based on modified halloysite nanotubular materials with new functional properties and the creation of optimal conditions for the pH-dependent processes of adsorption of metal ions and immobilization of enzymes."

As a result, new cheap adsorbents based on the natural minerals of halloysite will be obtained for efficient extraction of non-ferrous metals from raw ore materials and mine waters and new heterogeneous enzymatic catalysts for biotechnological hydrolytic hydrolysis processes.

The scientific group has already begun work on the project. Adsorption and chemical properties of halloysite were studied.

The grant of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research is three million rubles a year, the work is designed for three years.