Adsorbents and Fillers Group

In the 1960s, under the leadership of G. G. Martirosyan, the Laboratory of Adsorbents and Fillers was established. It studied and processed local mineral raw materials—bentonites, zeolites, diatomites, and others—and obtained adsorbents, fillers, and various filtering, absorbing, and decolorizing powders from them.

The bentonites of Noyemberyan and Sarigyugh (Ijevan) were studied, and a new method of acid and alkaline activation of clay raw materials was developed. The technology underwent large-scale laboratory and factory testing and was introduced at the Ijevan bentonite plant, where a workshop for acid activation of bentonites was built. The product received high evaluation abroad in oil and fat purification, decolorization, and deodorization processes. In addition, the laboratory studied and developed conditions for using Ijevan bentonite in natural and activated forms for wine clarification, in rubber at the Yerevan tire plant, and as a filler in the Aerit-B waterproofing liquid at the Nairit plant instead of expensive carbon black.

Research is now being carried out on thermochemical treatment processes of natural diatomites, optimal modification conditions, and methods for obtaining activated diatomites. As a result, powders with high sorption-filtering properties have been obtained. The product was used at the Arabkir dry-cleaning combine for regeneration of waste organic solutions in dry-cleaning processes, in beer production, and elsewhere.

Work is also being carried out on studying the properties of natural zeolites and obtaining adsorbents from them. Work has also been conducted on optimal conditions and technology for synthesizing artificial zeolites, since artificial zeolites can provide molecular sieves with a wider pore-size range.

A technology has been developed for obtaining calcium metasilicate and high-quality wollastonite from silicate acidic waters. The results were applied as fillers in paint and ceramic production.

At present, the laboratory operates as a scientific group studying the physicochemical properties of mineral clay rocks—bentonite, zeolite, diatomite, hydrosilicates—and core raw materials, and obtaining high-quality sorbents and ion exchangers on their basis. Funding is basic.