| Summary: | Abstract Sodium bentonites are extensively used in industry because they have specific properties that are wanted for several purposes, such as high swelling, thixotropy, and cation exchange capacity. Otherwise, calcium and polycationic bentonites, which are predominant in Brazil, need to be chemically treated by sodium activation to expand their content of interlayer exchangeable sodium cations, which increases these properties. The present study shows the factorial design of the sodium activation for a polycationic bentonite from Quatro Barras, Paraná. The factors considered in the study were: reagent (NaOH and Na2CO3), concentration (1% and 5%) and contact time (24 and 72 h). The response variables were swelling and cation exchange capacity. Statistical analysis indicated significant effects of all factors over swelling and response surface methodology indicated optimal activation with sodium carbonate at 5% for 24 h.
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