Interactions in clay/electrolyte systems

The sorption of cesium and cobalt on kaolinite and montmorillonite were followed by radiotracer method. The sorption of cesium can be described by a Freundlich isotherm. Cobalt sorption on clays equilibrated in cesium chloride solutions significantly differs for kaolinite and montmorillonite due to their differences in sites available for cation sorption and changes in solution chemistry.Heterogeneous exchange of cesium ions between clay and the surrounding electrolyte was performed in order to obtain information about clay/electrolyte systems equilibration. An interplay of different processes included in the attainment of true chemical equilibria of clay/electrolyte systems are responsible for the change of clay surface properties and total exchange capacity.