open access

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/70158

Formation of Fe- and Mg-Rich Smectite under Hyperalkaline Conditions at Narra in Palawan, the Philippines

英語

Mars

2018-04-12

MDPI

Minerals

8(4)

155

The formation of Fe- and Mg-rich smectite and zeolite under alkaline conditions, as secondary minerals after the alkaline alteration of bentonite in repositories for radioactive waste, is of major concern. It is crucial for safety assessments to know whether smectite is formed as a secondary mineral after the alkaline alteration of bentonite. In the present paper, Fe- and Mg-rich smectite, which interacted with the hyperalkaline groundwater at Narra in Palawan, Philippines, was used. Mineralogical and geochemical investigation was conducted to understand the formation process of the smectite and the factors determining the formation of secondary mineral species. The results suggest that a certain amount of smectite may be generated under hyperalkaline conditions, by alteration from amorphous or poorly crystalline components such as M-S-H and F-S-H. Therefore, the controlling factor determining whether smectite or zeolite will be generated as secondary minerals after alkaline alteration of bentonite could be whether nuclei of M-S-H and/or F-S-H are formed. Whether such formation takes place may be determined by the presence of dissolved Mg2+ and Fe2+ in the environment. The formation process of smectite under alkaline conditions, suggested by the results here, is analogous to the generally accepted model of smectite formation as it may have occurred on early Mars.

学術雑誌論文

Version of Record

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

© 2018 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

2075-163X