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Saito, Yuki*; Ishiwata, Tobimaru*; Horiuchi, Misato*; Nishiki, Yuto*; Kikuchi, Ryosuke*; Otake, Tsubasa*; Kawakita, Ryohei; Takayama, Yusuke; Mitsui, Seiichiro; Sato, Tsutomu*
Shigen, Sozai Koenshu (Internet), 11(1), 7 Pages, 2024/03
no abstracts in English
Kikuchi, Ryosuke*; Horiuchi, Misato*; Saito, Masaki*; Ishiwata, Tobimaru*; Nishiki, Yuto*; Sato, Tsutomu*; Takayama, Yusuke; Mitsui, Seiichiro
no journal, ,
In geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes, the use of swelling clay is intrinsic as a buffer around waste packages. In order to achieve long-term safety, longevity of montmorillonite, a major constituent of bentonite buffer, under disposal related conditions is important. One of the alteration processes of concern is cementation of clay layers due to precipitation of secondary minerals such as silica. In this study, we examined natural bentonite ores that could serve as natural analogues for the cementation process, especially focusing on microstructure of consolidated bentonite. Bentonite ores were collected from the Tsukinuno Mine in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. This bentonite is thought to have been formed by the diagenesis of volcanic ash. A dry polishing technique was used to form a smooth surface that well shows the original microstructure of bentonite ores, allowing petrographic discussion as in the observation of non-clayey rocks. Besides coarse quartz (probably pyroclastic origin), fine silica with grain sizes ranging from a few microns to submicron is widely observed in bentonite ores. The distribution of fine silica is characterized by discrete grains or short chains or small clusters in the fine-grained montmorillonite matrix, suggesting that they formed in closed system diagenesis and a low mobility of silica in clay matrix. Thin foils including fine silica and montmorillonite were extracted from polished sections using a focused ion beam apparatus and observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM observations demonstrated a microstructure where montmorillonite edge is directly bonded to the fine silica particles. The microstructure as seen in this study, is interpreted to be formed by the authigenic silica precipitation during diagenesis, not by a physical mixture. The silica coating of montmorillonite edge could prevent water access to its interlayer space and free swelling, which leads to a decrease in swelling pressure.
Ishiwata, Tobimaru*; Kikuchi, Ryosuke*; Otake, Tsubasa*; Sato, Tsutomu*; Kawakita, Ryohei; Takayama, Yusuke; Mitsui, Seiichiro
no journal, ,
It is known that the cementation of bentontie may cause the reduction of swelling pressure. However, fundamental mechanism of this reducing swelling pressure has not been well understood. To understand the mechanism, it is essential to identify the cementitious materials and observe the changes in microstructure associated with cementation. In this study, the microstructural observation and swelling tests were conducted on several bentonite ores collected from Tsukinuno Mine in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, as natural analog of cementation, and the relationship between petrographic texture and swelling pressure was discussed. Thin sections of bentonite ores were prepared by dry polishing technique to observe flat surfaces in micro scales. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated the widespread distribution of authigenic, a few micron silica in the matrix of montmorillonite. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the micro silica minerals (commonly quartz and less commonly amorphous silica) adhered to the edge of montmorillonite grains. These observations suggest that the adherence of these cementitious materials to montmorillonite prevents water access to the interlayer of montmorillonite and swelling, resulting in a decrease in swelling pressure. While these microstructures were observed commonly in all samples collected from several bentonite beds, the relative abundance of montmorillonite and micro silica minerals varied among different beds. It is possible that the swelling pressure in the cemented bentonite is affected by the relative abundance of montmorillonite and cementitious materials.
Ishiwata, Tobimaru*; Kikuchi, Ryosuke*; Otake, Tsubasa*; Sato, Tsutomu*; Kawakita, Ryohei; Takayama, Yusuke; Mitsui, Seiichiro
no journal, ,
Bentonite clay is planned to be used as a buffer material in the geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes. The swelling property of bentonite is expected to keep low permeability and control the migration of radionuclides thereby ensuring the safety of geological disposal. In the long-term, however, cementation of bentonite may degrade the swelling property where secondary minerals precipitate and adhere to the montmorillonite component of bentonite. In the present study, natural bentonite ores were investigated as analogues to cementation of bentonite in geological disposal. The images of SEM and EPMA were integrated into "mineral map", which could visually illustrate the distributions of individual mineral grains including fine cementitious minerals. Finally, multi regression analysis (MRA) was used to investigate correlation between petrographic parameters and swelling pressure. MRA showed swelling pressure of bentonite increases with the content of montmorillonite, and decreases with the total perimeter of accessary minerals. This suggests that the presence of secondary minerals can inhibit the swelling of montmorillonite and the area of contact between montmorillonite and secondary minerals might be a key parameter.