Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) of clay samples in KBr pellet form were recorded using a Bio-RAD Excalibur Series IR spectrometer. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were performed on a Philips X'pert X-ray powder diffractometer in steps of 0.02° using Cu Kα radiation as the X-ray source, the scans were undertaken from 2θ 2–10°. To prepare clay samples for XRD, drops of clay suspension were carefully applied to a glass microscope slide. Suspensions were allowed to dry slowly under ambient conditions to produce thin layers of clay particles for X-ray scanning. Dye concentrations in the supernatant from centrifuged samples were determined by a Shimazu UV–VIS–NIR Scanning Spectrometer (UV3101PC). Absorbencies were determined at wavelengths of 665 nm and 526 nm, which correspond to the maximum absorption peak of MB and R6G respectively