Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-22dnz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-28T19:48:06.225Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Destructive Role of Diffusion on Clay Membrane Behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Charles D. Shackelford  and
Jae-Myung Lee
Charles D. Shackelford*
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1372, USA
Jae-Myung Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1372, USA
*
*E-mail address of corresponding author: shackel@engr.colostate.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The results of a combined chemico-osmotic/diffusion experiment conducted on a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) containing Na-bentonite illustrate the destructive role of diffusion on the ability of the GCL to act as a semipermeable membrane. The experiment is conducted by maintaining a concentration difference of 5 mM CaCl2 across the GCL specimen while preventing the flow of solution through the specimen. A time-dependent membrane efficiency is derived from measured pressure differences induced across the specimen in response to the applied concentration difference. The diffusive mass fluxes of the solutes (Cl− and Ca2+) through the specimen are also measured simultaneously. An initial increase in induced pressure difference across the specimen to a peak value of 19.3 kPa is observed, followed by a gradual decrease to zero. The decrease in induced pressure difference is consistent with compression of diffuse double layers between clay particles and particle clusters due to diffusion of Ca2+, resulting in a concomitant increase in pore sizes and decrease in the observed membrane behavior. The time required for effective destruction of the initially observed semipermeable membrane behavior correlates well with the time required to achieve steady-state Ca2+ diffusion. The results have important implications for the ability of clays to sustain membrane behavior.

Keywords

Chemico-osmotic EfficiencyClay MembraneDiffuse Double LayerDiffusionMembrane BehaviorReflection CoefficientSolute Restriction
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , April 2003 , pp. 186 - 196
Copyright
Copyright © 2003, The Clay Minerals Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barbour, S.L., (1986) Osmotic Flow and Volume Change in Clay Soils Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada University of Saskatchewan Ph.D. dissertation.Google Scholar
Barbour, S.L. and Fredlund, D.G., (1989) Mechanisms of osmotic flow and volume change in clay soils Canadian Geotechnical Journal 26 551–562 10.1139/t89-068.Google Scholar
Fritz, S.J., (1986) Ideality of clay membranes in osmotic processes: A review Clays and Clay Minerals 34 214–223 10.1346/CCMN.1986.0340212.Google Scholar
Groenevelt, P.H. and Elrick, D.E., (1976) Coupling phenomena in saturated homo-ionic montmorillonite: II. Theoretical Soil Science Society of America, Journal 40 820–823 10.2136/sssaj1976.03615995004000060011x.Google Scholar
Hanshaw, B.B. and Coplen, T.B., (1973) Ultrafiltration by a compacted clay membrane — II. Sodium ion exclusion at various ionic strengths Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 37 2311–2327 10.1016/0016-7037(73)90106-3.Google Scholar
Katchalsky, A. and Curran, P.F., (1965) Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics in Biophysics Cambridge, Massachusetts Harvard University Press 10.4159/harvard.9780674494121 248 pp.Google Scholar
Keijzer, ThJS and Loch, J.P.G., (2001) Chemical osmosis in compacted dredging sludge Soil Science Society of America, Journal 65 1045–1055 10.2136/sssaj2001.6541045x.Google Scholar
Keijzer, ThJS Kleingeld, P.J. Loch, J.P.G., Yong, R.N. and Thomas, H.R., (1997) Chemical osmosis in compacted clayey material and the prediction of water transport Geoenvironmental Engineering, Contaminated Ground: Fate of Pollutants and Remediation London Thomas Telford Publishers 199 204.Google Scholar
Keijzer, ThJS Kleingeld, P.J. and Loch, J.P.G., (1999) Chemical osmosis in compacted clayey material and the prediction of water transport Engineering Geology 53 151–159 10.1016/S0013-7952(99)00028-9.Google Scholar
Kemper, W.D. and Quirk, J.P., (1972) Ion mobilities and electric charge of external clay surfaces inferred from potential differences and osmotic flow Soil Science Society of America, Proceedings 36 426–433 10.2136/sssaj1972.03615995003600030019x.Google Scholar
Kemper, W.D. and Rollins, J.B., (1966) Osmotic efficiency coefficients across compacted clays Soil Science Society of America, Proceedings 30 529–534 10.2136/sssaj1966.03615995003000050005x.Google Scholar
Malusis, M.A. and Shackelford, C.D., (2002) Chemico-osmotic efficiency of a geosynthetic clay liner Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 128 97–106 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2002)128:2(97).Google Scholar
Malusis, M.A. and Shackelford, C.D., (2002) Coupling effects during steady-state solute diffusion through a semipermeable clay membrane Environmental Science and Technology 36 1312–1319 10.1021/es011130q.Google Scholar
Malusis, M.A. Shackelford, C.D. Olsen, H.W., Young, R.N. and Thomas, H.R., (2001) Flow and transport through clay membrane barriers Geoenvironmental Engineering: Geoenvironmental Impact Management London Thomas Telford Publishers 334 341.Google Scholar
Malusis, M.A. Shackelford, C.D. and Olsen, H.W., (2001) A laboratory apparatus to measure chemico-osmotic efficiency coefficients for clay soils Geotechnical Testing Journal 24 229–242 10.1520/GTJ11343J.Google Scholar
Olsen, H.W. Yearsley, E.N. and Nelson, K.R., (1990) Chemico-osmosis versus diffusion-osmosis Transportation Research Record No. 1288 Washington D.C. Transportation Research Board 15 22.Google Scholar
Pusch, R., (1999) Microstructural evolution of buffers Engineering Geology 54 33–41 10.1016/S0013-7952(99)00059-9.Google Scholar
Pusch, R. and Schomburg, J., (1999) Impact of microstructure on the hydraulic conductivity of undisturbed and artificially prepared smectitic clays Engineering Geology 54 167–172 10.1016/S0013-7952(99)00072-1.Google Scholar
Shackelford, C.D., (1991) Laboratory diffusion testing for waste disposal — A review Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 7 177–217 10.1016/0169-7722(91)90028-Y.Google Scholar
Shackelford, C.D., Daniel, D.E. and Trautwein, S.J., (1994) Waste-soil interactions that alter hydraulic conductivity Hydraulic Conductivity and Waste Contaminant Transport in Soil West Conshohoken, Pennsylvania ASTM 111–168 10.1520/STP23887S.Google Scholar
Shackelford, C.D. and Daniel, D.E., (1991) Diffusion in saturated soil: I. Background Journal of Geotechnical Engineering 117 467–484 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9410(1991)117:3(467).Google Scholar
Shackelford, C.D. and Redmond, P.L., (1995) Solute breakthrough curves for processed kaolin at low flow rates Journal of Geotechnical Engineering 121 17–32 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9410(1995)121:1(17).Google Scholar
Shackelford, C.D. Malusis, M.A. and Olsen, H.W., (2001) Clay membrane barriers for waste containment Geotechnical News Richmond, British Columbia, Canada BiTech Publishers 39–43 19.Google Scholar
Staverman, A.J., (1952) Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of membrane processes Transactions of the Faraday Society 48 176–185 10.1039/tf9524800176.Google Scholar
van Olphen, H., (1977) An Introduction to Clay Colloid Chemistry 2nd New York John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 318 pp.Google Scholar
van Oort, E. Hale, A.H. Mody, F.K. and Roy, S., (1996) Transport in shales and the design of improved water-based shale drilling fluids SPE Drilling and Completion 11 137–146 10.2118/28309-PA.Google Scholar
Whitworth, T.M. and Fritz, S.J., (1994) Electrolyte-induced solute permeability effects in compacted smectite membranes Applied Geochemistry 9 533–546 10.1016/0883-2927(94)90015-9.Google Scholar