CONCLUSIONSStructural characterization of extracted bleaching earths showed that some changes occurred for sepiolite and palygorskite during bleaching and extraction in addition to decrease in their particle sizes. The specific surface areas of the extracted bleaching earths decreased substantially compared with those determined for fresh bleaching earths. This result indicates that reuse of spent, extracted bleaching earths might not be economically feasible. (c) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry