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Stability of Gaomiaozi bentonite: Interlayer hydration structure and aggregation morphology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2024

Zhaomin Tan ,
Chengyun Fu ,
Mark Julian Henderson ,
Xuezhi Dai Open the ORCID record for Xuezhi Dai [Opens in a new window] ,
Jianfeng Cheng ,
Jingli Xie ,
Shan Zhu  and
Minhao Yan Open the ORCID record for Minhao Yan [Opens in a new window]
Zhaomin Tan
Affiliation:
School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
Chengyun Fu
Affiliation:
School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
Mark Julian Henderson
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
Xuezhi Dai
Affiliation:
School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
Jianfeng Cheng
Affiliation:
Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, Beijing, China CAEA Innovation Center for Geological Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste, Beijing, China
Jingli Xie
Affiliation:
Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, Beijing, China CAEA Innovation Center for Geological Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste, Beijing, China
Shan Zhu*
Affiliation:
School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
Minhao Yan*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
*
Corresponding authors: Shan Zhu and Yan Minhao; Emails: zhushan@swust.edu.cn; yanminhao@swust.edu.cn
Corresponding authors: Shan Zhu and Yan Minhao; Emails: zhushan@swust.edu.cn; yanminhao@swust.edu.cn
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Abstract

The sustainability of high-level radioactive waste repositories situated in fractured crystalline rocks depends on the stability of bentonite liners, and this can pose a problem in certain groundwater conditions that favor the formation of colloids from backfill materials that are prone to erosion. The influence of different environments on the structure of Gaomiaozi bentonite (GMZ) and GMZ colloids (GMZC) is presented here. Different hydrated interlayer structures of bulk and colloidal forms of this bentonite from small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data are demonstrated. Analysis of the scattering data showed that GMZ had three interlayer water structures: dehydrated (0W), monohydrated (1W), and bi-hydrated (2W). The colloids readily agglomerated at acidic pH (pH <5) but showed resistance to agglomeration in an alkaline condition (pH >7). The effect of Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ on the lamellar structure and agglomerate morphology of GMZC particles was investigated. In general, the tendency of colloids to agglomerate was greater in the presence of divalent metal cations compared with monovalent metal cations. High concentrations (10–5 to 10–3 mol L–1) of divalent ions imparted order into the stacked lamellar structure after the saturation of the interlayer. In contrast, monovalent ions reduced the tendency of the particles to aggregate, leading to an abundance of colloidal nanoparticles prone to erosion. This work helps to better understand the structural characteristics of GMZC in the groundwater environment, and provides a valuable reference for the evaluation of nuclide migration in the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes.

Keywords

bentonite colloidscationsinterlayer watersmall-angle X-ray scattering
Type
Original Paper
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 72 , 2024 , e5
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Clay Minerals Society

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