Hydrothermal synthesis of meso-porous materials using diatomaceous Earth

In order to sustain the inherent properties of diatomaceous earth (DE), a low-temperature synthesis of mesoporous material from DE was carried out using a hydrothermal processing technique under saturated steam pressure at 200 °C for 12 h. The experimental results showed that the most important strength-producing constituent in the solidified specimens was tobermorite formed by hydrothermal processing, and the addition of slaked lime was favorable to tobermorite formation. At Ca/Si ratio around 0.83 in the starting material, tobermorite appeared to form readily. A high autoclave curing temperature (200 °C), or a longer curing time (12 h) seemed to accelerate the tobermorite formation, thus leading to a higher strength development.