Alteration of smectites induced by hydrolytic exchange

Abstract Hydrolytic exchange was performed experimentally on four smectitic clays to evaluate the extent of clay alteration induced by this process and the associated ‘auto-transformation’ of H+ clays. Clay samples were Na-saturated and submitted to 10, 50 and 100 wetting-drying (WD) cycles and characterized after treatment using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and cation exchange capacity analysis. Evidence for hydrolytic exchange was given by increasing amounts of exchangeable Mg2+ and precipitation of Na soluble salts for samples subjected to 100 WD cycles. Results indicated a decrease in the interlayer charge after 10 WD cycles but no further decrease was observed after 50 and 100 WD cycles. For one sample, XRD data indicated a decrease in the proportion of the smectite phase and a relative increase in the concentration of illite-smectite mixed layers also present in the sample. The results suggested that the reaction induces first a decrease in the layer charge and then a partial dissolution of some smectite layers.