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Interaction of Corroding Iron with Bentonite in the ABM1 Experiment at Äspö, Sweden: A Microscopic Approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Paul Wersin ,
Andreas Jenni  and
Urs K. Mäder
Paul Wersin*
Affiliation:
Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1+3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Andreas Jenni
Affiliation:
Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1+3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Urs K. Mäder
Affiliation:
Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1+3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
*
*E-mail address of corresponding author: paul.wersin@geo.unibe.ch
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Abstract

Bentonite and iron metals are common materials proposed for use in deep-seated geological repositories for radioactive waste. The inevitable corrosion of iron leads to interaction processes with the clay which may affect the sealing properties of the bentonite backfill. The objective of the present study was to improve our understanding of this process by studying the interface between iron and compacted bentonite in a geological repository-type setting. Samples of MX-80 bentonite samples which had been exposed to an iron source and elevated temperatures (up to 115°C) for 2.5 y in an in situ experiment (termed ABM1) at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden, were investigated by microscopic means, including scanning electron microscopy, μ-Raman spectroscopy, spatially resolved X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence.

The corrosion process led to the formation of a ~100 μm thick corrosion layer containing siderite, magnetite, some goethite, and lepidocrocite mixed with the montmorillonitic clay. Most of the corroded Fe occurred within a 10 mm-thick clay layer adjacent to the corrosion layer. An average corrosion depth of the steel of 22–35 μm and an average Fe2+ diffusivity of 1–2 × 10−13 m2/s were estimated based on the properties of the Fe-enriched clay layer. In that layer, the corrosion-derived Fe occurred predominantly in the clay matrix. The nature of this Fe could not be identified. No indications of clay transformation or newly formed clay phases were found. A slight enrichment of Mg close to the Fe—clay contact was observed. The formation of anhydrite and gypsum, and the dissolution of some SiO2 resulting from the temperature gradient in the in situ test, were also identified.

Keywords

BentoniteIronIn Situ ExperimentInterface
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 63 , Issue 1 , February 2015 , pp. 51 - 68
Copyright
Copyright © Clay Minerals Society 2015

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