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Size distribution of FEBEX bentonite colloids upon fast disaggregation in low-ionic strength water

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Natalia Mayordomo ,
Claude Degueldre ,
Ursula Alonso  and
Tiziana Missana
Natalia Mayordomo*
Affiliation:
CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense, 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Claude Degueldre
Affiliation:
Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
Ursula Alonso
Affiliation:
CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense, 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Tiziana Missana
Affiliation:
CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense, 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
*
*E-mail: natalia.mayordomo@ciemat.es
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Abstract

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Bentonite colloids generated from the backfill barrier in nuclear waste repositories may act as radionuclide carriers, if they are stable and mobile. Repository scenarios with highly saline groundwater inhibit colloid stability as particles tend to aggregate but, in the time frame of repositories, groundwater conditions may evolve, promoting particle disaggregation and stabilization. The disaggregation of FEBEX bentonite colloids by fast dilution to lower ionic strength was analysed in this study. Time-resolved dynamic light-scattering experiments were carried out to evaluate the kinetics of bentonite colloid aggregation and disaggregation processes in Na+ and Na+-Ca2+ mixed electrolytes of low ionic strength. Attachment and detachment efficiencies were determined.

Aggregation is promoted by increasing ionic strength, being more efficient in the presence of divalent cations. Once bentonite colloids are aggregated, a decrease in ionic strength facilitates disaggregation, but the process is not fully reversible as the initial size of the stable bentonite colloids at low ionic strength is not fully recovered. Particle-size distribution and concentration in suspension were analysed on disaggregated samples by single particle-counting measurements. Small colloids were measured in the disaggregated samples but their population was smaller than in the initial stable sample, especially in the presence of Ca2+.

Keywords

colloidsFEBEXdisaggregationbentonitebarriernuclear-waste repositories
Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , May 2016 , pp. 213 - 222
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2016 This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2016

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