The influence of temperature and hydration on the sorption properties of bentonite

The effects of exposure to synthetic groundwater at elevated temperature gradients on the sorption properties of bentonite were investigated using the Mock-Up-Cz experiment. This experiment simulated the vertical placement of a container of radioactive waste according to the Swedish KBS-3 system for a period of more than 3 years. The mineralogical composition, as well as its chemical and physico-chemical properties, including the uptake of (99)TcO(4)(-) and (134)Cs(+), was used to evaluate the chemical changes caused by the long-term exposure of bentonite buffer to thermal and hydration gradients. It was found that the bentonite material was predominantly stable. No more than 2% of the montmorillonite was transformed due to thermal and moisture gradients. It was concluded that the new-formed mineral phases have no significant influence on the ion exchange and sorption properties of bulk bentonite samples.