• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.2 s.183
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• pp.141-151
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• 2007

This study was focused on iron removal from illite by L-ascorbic and oxalic acids. Iron has been shown as a secondary mineral such as iron oxides and hydroxides in illite ores. It is also known as a primary agent to degrade brightness index of the ores. Methods such as physical separation and chemical leaching with strong inorganic acids have been widely used to remove the iron from the ores. However, these methods are expensive and give rise to environmental problems. In this study, we examined an alternative method using solutions with different set of combination of sulfuric, hydrochloric, L-ascorbic, and oxalic acids. Compared to chemical treatments with only inorganic acids, our results demonstrate that an addition of L-ascorbic acid in inorganic acids results in decreasing both total concentrations of the inorganic acids and time for the treatments. The treatment with 0.15 M L-ascorbic acid and 0.25 M sulfuric acid in solution for 60 min significantly improved the brightness index from 42.4% to 74.4%. This improvement is similar to that of treatment with only 2.5 M sulfuric acid alone for 150 min. Mineralogical and chemical analyses were performed to compare the effect of acid leaching on illite powders. No obvious differences are observed in the mineralogical characteristics and particle size distributions of the samples. These results suggest that the treatment with the addition of L-ascorbic acid in sulfuric acid could effectively remove iron without modifying the physicochemical properties of illite under conditions used in this study.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2008

Characterization of mineralogy and nanocrystals of ingredient materials of $Lumilite^{(R)}$ used for water treatment was made using optical microscopy, XRD, SEM, FTIR, and XRF analyses. Constituent minerals identified by XRD and microscope are clinoptilolite, illite, quartz, and albite, characterized by dense and fine texture. The cross section of nanocrystals with the size $70{$\sim}100\;nm$ is generally round or subround. Numerous spheroids with few nanometers in diameter are extensively formed on the surface of nanocrystals. Bulk chemistry is $SiO_2$ $74.22{\sim}75.65\;wt.%$, $Al_2O_3$ $13.25{\sim}13.72\;wt.%$, CaO $4.23{\sim}5.15\;wt.%$, with other major elements being minimal. When heated to $700^{\circ}C$, the crystal structure was mostly destroyed, though it persisted to $500^{\circ}C$. It is likely that high capacity and applications of $Lumilite^{(R)}$ for water treatment are originated from its structural properties such as development of nanocrystals and various tiny pores.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.209-220
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• 2016

Clay minerals are a major player to determine geochemical cycles of trace metals and carbon in the critical zone which covers the atmosphere down to groundwater aquifers. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can examine the Earth materials at an atomic level and, therefore, provide detailed fundamental-level insights related to physicochemical properties of clay minerals. In the current study, we have applied classical MD simulations with clayFF force field to dioctahedral clay minerals (i.e., gibbsite, kaolinite, and pyrophyllite) to analyze and compare structural parameters (lattice parameter, atomic pair distance) with experiments. We further calculated vibrational power spectra for the hydroxyls of the minerals by using the MD simulations results. The MD simulations predicted lattice parameters and interatomic distances respectively deviated less than 0.1~3.7% and 5% from the experimental results. The stretching vibrational wavenumber of the hydroxyl groups were calculated $200-300cm^{-1}$ higher than experiment. However, the trends in the frequencies among different surface hydroxyl groups of each mineral was consistent with experimental results. The angle formed by the surface hydroxyl group with the (001) plane and hydrogen bond distances of the surface hydroxyls were consistent with experimental result trends. The inner hydroxyls, however, showed results somewhat deviated from reported data in the literature. These results indicate that molecular dynamics simulations with clayFF can be a useful method in elucidating the roles of surface hydroxyl groups in the adsorption of metal ions to clay minerals.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.377-383
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• 2000

The composition of primary minerals of sand fractions and secondary minerals of clay fractions were investigated on the polder soils developed from alluvio-marine deposits near to Sapgyo-lake, constructed a sea dike across river estuary located in the west coast. The effects of a topographical sequence on the physico-chemical properties and mineralogical characteristics were evaluated using XRD, DTA, and TG with the chemical composition of $H^+$ saturated clays. Soils located on the seashore side were more silt fraction, higher pH and exchangeable cations than the others. The dominant minerals of soil parent materials are in the order of quartz, feldspars, micas, chlorite and amphibole. According to the greater distance from the lake, the amount of 1:1 minerals increased, but 2:1 minerals decreased. The dominant clay minerals of polder soils are kaolinite, vermiculite and illite. Hydroxy interlayer minerals are abundant in the clay fractions derived from the soil parent materials which have relatively low soil pH.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2005

Beidellite, a member of the smectite group, was synthesized hydrothermally from dickite. Physical and chemical properties of the synthetic Na-beidellite were characterized by the analytical methods of XRD, IR, TG, DTA, EDS, XRF and ICP. The result of Greene-Kelly test indicates that the synthesized smectite is Na-beidellite. IR spectrum of synthesized beidellite exhibited Al-O-H bending vibration at $818\;cm^{-1}\;and\;770\;cm^{-1}$ which was observed particularly in pure beidellite. TGA analysis revealed that the synthesized Na-beidellite comprises $16\;wt\%$ of water. DTA curve showed an endothermic peak at $117^{\circ}C$ due to dehydration reaction and peaks at $482^{\circ}C$ and $685^{\circ}C$ due to dehydroxylation reaction. The clay mineral was transformed to mullite and cristobalite at the temperature of $1028^{\circ}C$. The CEC value, Methylene Blue test and swelling capacity was determined to be $116\~118\;cmol/kg,\;84\~91\%,\;29\~32\;mL/2g$, respectively. The chemical composition of the synthesized phase was identified as $Na_{0.5}Al_{2.5}Si_{3.5}O_{10}(OH)_2$ from EDS and XRF analyses.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.1 s.51
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

Hectorite was synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal process from $Mg(OH)_{2}$, water glass (${\sim}30\;wt%\;SiO_{2}$) and Li-compound at $90{\pm}5^{\circ}C$. The product shows excellent dispersion and swelling properties. The mixture of the starting materials was heated in a glass vessel for the first reaction with continuous stirring and the pH of the solution was adjusted to $6{\sim}8$, resulting in the formation of a precursor of hectorite. The excess salt components were washed out from the resulting slurry and then was matured in the glass vessel for the 2nd reaction. Li compound was added during the reaction. After a 10 h retention, the gel of hectorite was formed. The XRD pattern of the synthesized one was coincided with that of natural hectorite and SEM study revealed uniform grains 50 m in diameter. The d001 basal spacing of the product moved from 12 to $17.4\;{\AA}$ after glycolation treatment. The measured value of CEC and the swelling capacity was 90 cmol/kg and $60{\sim}70\;mL/2\;g$, respectively.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.1 s.51
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• pp.21-33
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• 2007

The dispersion/flocculation behavior of bentonite is a major concern in performance of drilling fluid. We studied the dispersion/flocculation characteristics of three commercial bentonites [two CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose) treated and one untreated] in waters of different pHs and salt concentrations. We also examined changes in the viscosity of bentonite suspensions in such waters as a major rheological property of drilling fluid. The dispersion/flocculation behaviors of bentonites were measured by two methods: colorimetric and light scattering method. Light scattering method allows estimating the floc diameter and flocculation rate. The dispersion and flocculation behaviors were diverse with the different bentonites and water qualities. In distilled water, all the bentonites were well dispersed up to first 10 minutes. After that, the CMC-bearing bentonites were flocculated. In salt waters, all the samples were flocculated and the flocculation rate is varied with salt concentration and polymer content. The volume of settled flocs decreased with increasing salt concentration. The flocculation rate and floc diameter increased with decreasing pH of solutions, whereas the volume of settled flocs increased with increasing pH of solutions. The bentonites of fast flocculation behavior had low viscosity. The results of the present study will be helpful in applying bentonites to drilling fluids in diverse environments.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.263-272
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• 2013

The Taebaegsan region and its vicinities mainly consist of Precambrian granitic gneisses and Cambrian meta-sedimentary rocks. And lots of leucocratic(alkali) granites smaller than the stocks are found here and there. Therefore the presence of leuco-granites is not properly described yet in the former studies. For the effective distinction of several granitic rocks, outcrop characteristics, mineral identification, and petro-chemical properties were studied. Some part of granitc gneisses could be classified into typical metamorphic rocks such as migmatites and banded gneisses. And some shows rather dark appearance with gray quartz and feldspars, and others two mica granites, leucocratic ones etc. But all of leucocratic granites of the region usually show bright milky white to beige color. Since they mainly consist of quartz, feldspars, muscovite, and small amounts of sericites, amphiboles, tourmaline and lepidolite. And all of alkali granites belong to the calc-alkalic, peraluminous and S-type in character. During magmatic differentiation of leucocratic granites, CaO and total Fe contents are clearly decreased than those of the older granitic rocks. On the other hand, magmatic evolution also had induced the greisenization and albitization which enriched the relative amounts of alkali elements such as $K_2O$ and $Na_2O$.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.81-86
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• 2013

A series of birnessite was synthesized at 25, 40, 60, and $80^{\circ}C$, respectively. Intensities of XRD and the ratio of signal to noise of the peaks for samples increases with increasing temperature up to $60^{\circ}C$, whereas the intensity and ratio for a sample synthesized at $80^{\circ}C$ decrease, showing that crystallinity of the birnessite synthesized at $60^{\circ}C$ is better than that of the synthesized at $80^{\circ}C$. However, BET surface areas for these two samples show that the surface area increases 39.4 to 89.7 $m^2/g$ with increasing synthesizing temperature from 60 up to $80^{\circ}C$, indicating that a small surface area is shown in a well-crystallized birnessite rather than that of a poorly crystallized birnessite. SEM images show that morphologies for samples are seriously influenced by temperature. The morphology of the synthesized at 25 shows a round-shape, while a plate-like morphology is shown in the synthesized birnessite at $80^{\circ}C$. In addition, a porous layered structure is also shown in the synthesized birnessite at $80^{\circ}C$. These results suggest that physicochemical properties of the synthesized birnessite are sensitively affected by mechanical changes of parameters such as temperature during the synthesization.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.299-308
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• 2015

The six natural zeolites collected in Pohang area, Kyungsangbuk-do, Korea, were characterized by XRD, XRF, DTA, TGA, and CEC analysis. The primary species of these zeolite are modenite, albite, and quarts in Kuryongpo-A (Ku-A), Kuryongpo-B (Ku-B), Kuryongpo-C (Ku-C), Donghae-A (Dh-A), Donghae-B (Dh-B), and Donghae-C (Dh-C) samples. The XRF analysis showed that the six zeolites contain Si, Al, Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Fe. Cation exchange capacity of Kuryongpo-C (Ku-C) zeolite was the highest compared to other zeolites. The capabilities of removing heavy metal ions such as $Pb^{2+}$, $Cd^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$ were compared. The effect of reaction time in removing heavy metal ions was studied. The experimental results showed that the efficiency of removal was low for $Pb^{2+}$, $Cd^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$ ions. These may be caused by the low content of zeolite in the six natural zeolites. This indicates that the adsorption capacity roughly tends to depend on the zeoite contents, ie., the grade of zeolite ore.