Role of Pectin Substances in the Structural Organization of the Flax Fiber–Montmorillonite Hybrid Sorbent

Abstract

The degree of immobilization of montmorillonite on flax fiber was determined experimentally, and the effect of the nonadditive increase in the sorption capacity of the biocomponent material was evaluated. Studies of pectin–montmorillonite model systems using methods of laser diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and gas adsorption revealed the formation of associate pairs with an equivalent increase in the pectin particle size, a threefold increase in the interlayer distance in the mineral structure, and a superadditive increase in the pore structure parameters. These effects prove formation of hybrid composites with limited intercalation of pectin polymer chains.