Investigation of the Structural Properties of Amorphous Philippine Bentonite Clay and its Potential Use for Topical Applications

摘要

This study aims to characterize the Philippine natural bentonite from Mangatarem, Pangasinan for potential topical applications. Six samples were obtained from the mine site. Using the low angle region of their XRD patterns, initial mineralogical analysis of the samples was conducted. The presence of the 6.08° peak, which represents the presence of pure smectite material, was only observed in one sample, D2. The long range XRD pattern of the D2 bentonite sample confirmed montmorillonite as the main component. Other clay minerals such as hectorite and mordenite were also detected in small intensities. In the chemical analysis, Si and Al were the primary elemental components. However, the presence of high amount of Ca revealed that the sample is Ca-bentonite. Also present are other exchangeable cations such as Na~+, K~+, and Mg~(2+). To confirm their applicability for topical uses, the CEC, pH and presence of E. coli were determined. The CEC of the sample was 114.32 meq/100g, and the pH value was 7.1. Microbial test also confirmed the absence of E. coli. These tests all validate that the sample is safe and viable for topical applications.