Comportamiento hidrotermal de las arcillas saponiticas de la Cuenca de Madrid

Abstract

The hydrothermal behavior of sedimentary saponitic clays from Madrid Basin has been investigated to assess their potential use as a buffer material in high level radioactive waste repositories. This paper deals with a rewiew of several aspects that has been studied: the adsorption and irreversible fixation of K⁺, the alteration in absence of potasium and the effects of heat and steam on textural properties of the smectitic clay. Experiments have covered temperatures up to 175 ºC with an excess of liquid water except on the last subject. Chemical and XRD analyses of final clay products and solutions indicates minor alteration of the saponite in the hydrothermal experiments either in the presence or absence of potasium. No illitization or chloritization processes seems to affect the smectite. Sepiolite was found to be largely dissolved at 175 ºC, a process that inhibited recrystallization or formation of illite observed when illite was present in significant amounts in starting materials. Accessory minerals (illite and sepiolite) accompayning as traces the saponitic material underwent and intense degradation at 175 ºC in absence of potasium. On the other hand, clay steamed at 200 ºC showed significant textural changes forming highly stable silt size aggregates which hindered the swelling abilities of the saponitic material, a fact that was previously observed in montmorillonites.