Kaolinite and illite colloid transport in saturated porous media

Abstract

Understanding the transport of naturally abundant clay colloids is critical in colloid associated contaminant transport in porous media. This study was focused on the impact of the median size of sand grains and the ionic strength of solution on the transport and retention behavior of clay colloids. Two clay samples of kaolinite and illite colloids were selected to represent clay samples containing 1:1 and 2:1 clay minerals, respectively. The observed retention profiles and breakthrough curves demonstrated that the impact of ionic strength on the retention behavior of clay was consistent with other colloidal colloids such as latex colloids or graphene oxide. The quantity of the retained clay increased as the median sizes of sand decreased, and the ionic strength increased from 0 to 0.1 M. However, a similar quantity of retained illite at the ionic strength of 0.01 M and 0.1 M indicates the presence of threshold ionic strength in clay colloid retention. The exponential relationship between sand-to-clay size ratio and first-order retention coefficient at given ionic strength implies the chance in long-term prediction of clay colloid transport from the observed retention profiles. • Transport of kaolinite and illite was investigated in saturated sand column. • Quantity of retained clay does not increase for ionic strength greater than 0.01 M. • Porosity of sand can be a critical factor in clay particle transport. • Impact of aggregation and aspect ratio of clay particles should be considered.