Structural Alteration, Hydration Stability, Heavy Metal Removal Efficiency, and Montmorillonite Porosity Fate by Coupling the Soil Solution pH and a Thermal Gradient

Clay minerals are considered as a promising material in the context of geological barrier for confinement radioactive and industrial waste. Understanding usefulness smectite mineral, this approach, remains insufficient. The deep investigation about structural response/changes, hydrate stability, cation exchange process, permeability, heavy metal/radionuclide adsorption/removal efficiency under external constraints is needed. To explore alteration, hydration evolution montmorillonite porosity first order applied coupling, reference Na-rich specimen used starting material, three exchangeable metal cations (Ba2+, Cu2+, Co2+) have been selected. constraint coupling realized at laboratory scale assured by simultaneously varying soil solution pH thermal gradient. evaluation mineral fraction response established correlation quantitative XRD analysis results, analysis, measurements. allows rebuilding theoretical model describing interlamellar space (IS) configurations/damages, heterogeneity degrees, hydrous stability. Obtained results show dominant interstratified character, all studied complexes, attributed to new IS organization versus strength. Furthermore, samples exhibit heterogeneous behavior traduced coexistence different layers type population within crystallite. Additionally, profile decomposition allowed us prove link between domination segregated stacking mode against Thermal develop models decrease water molecule amounts function increase temperature pH. Moreover, specific footprint an interstratification mapping assigned each corresponding stress degrees. determined adsorption measurement, based on Brunauer, Emmett, Teller (BET) Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore size distribution analyses which confirms samples, exfoliation mesopore diameter rise increasing intensity.