Bleaching of red clay using Na2S2O4 and NaBH4 in acidic solution

Bleaching of red clay is carried out by reacting iron-containing clay with the system of two reducing agents Na2S2O4, and NaBH4, in an acidic environment. The treatment process is performed with the help of ultrasonic equipment, as well as mixing operations performed at high temperature. Several physical-chemical methods such as XRF, XRD, and FTIR were used to evaluate clay samples before and after treatment. The results showed effective iron-removal in red clay. Comparison of whiteness between the processed sample and the original sample is performed by measuring parameters in the CIE L*a*b* color-system. The analysis shows that the whiteness of the treated sample reached 78.72%, showing that the treated clay has clearly improved its whiteness, and can be applied in making high-end ceramic products that require the clay with high whiteness.