LAYER CHARGE SYSTEMATICS OF SMECTITES IN BENTONITE DEPOSITS. A CASE STUDY FROM THE MILOAN BENTONITES, AEGEAN GREECE

摘要

Layer charge is a fundamental property of smectites which controls cation exchange capacity, ion exchange selectivity and swelling. Within this context, determination of layer charge and charge distribution within a bentonite deposit is of particular importance because a) it can shed light on the formation mechanism of the bentonite and any possible subsequent modifications, and b) it controls the variability of bentonites in various industrial applications. This knowledge, in turn, can assist in an understanding of why production of Na-activated smectites from Ca-Mg smectites usually yields unpredictable results [1].