The exchange reactions of Na, Ca and Mg on montmorillonite are revisited employing recently developed analytical and theoretical approaches. The fractional adsorption of the cations has been determined by displacing them from the adsorbed state in one step, using a low concentration of an organic cation of large binding affinity. The analysis of displaced and solution cations employed inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry. An adsorption model was employed in the analysis of the data. The procedure consists of solving the electrostatic Gouy-Chapman equations and calculating adsorbed amounts of the cations as the sum of the cations residing in the double layer region, and the cations chemically bound to the surface, in a closed system. The model also accounts explicitly for cation complexation in solution. Thus the calculations also considered the adsorption of CaCl+ and MgCl+, which eliminated the apparent increase of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) with divalent cation concentration. The model could explain and yield predictions for our measured adsorbed amounts as well as previously published data, in the binary and ternary systems of Ca/Mg/Na, provided that the fraction of surface sites occupied by calcium did not exceed 0.4. For a larger coverage of surface sites by calcium, a fit of the experimental data required an order of magnitude increase in the binding coefficients of the divalent cations in the binary system Ca/Na and in the ternary system Ca/Mg/Na.

Sorption of several organic and inorganic cations on illite (Clay Minerals Society Source Clay Imt-2) was determined experimentally and results compared to model calculations. The cations studied were crystal violet (CV+), benzyltrimethylammonium (BTMA+), benzyltriethylammonium (BTEA+), Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Cs+, and Li+. The adsorption-model calculations involved a solution of the electrostatic Gouy-Chapman equations. The model considered specific adsorption and sorption/exclusion in the double-layer region in a closed system. Model calculations considered the simultaneous presence of four to six cations in the system. The adsorption of CV included formation of neutral and charged complexes. The adsorption attained 0.37 mol kg−1 or 150% of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of illite in aqueous suspension. The adsorption of BTMA and BTEA did not exceed the CEC and was reduced with an increase in ionic strength. The sorption of CV below the CEC was rather insensitive to the ionic strength because of the large binding coefficients and was only slightly reduced in NaCl, CsCl, or Na2SO4 solutions. When added in amounts exceeding the CEC in high ionic strength, 0.667 M NaNO3, NaCl, or CsCl solutions, the adsorbed quantities of CV increased to three times the CEC. At high sulphate concentrations (0.333 M Na2SO4), the adsorption was below the CEC. Model calculations yielded satisfactory simulations for the adsorption, particularly for cations added in amounts approaching or exceeding the CEC. The binding coefficients for formation of neutral complexes followed the sequence: CV > Ca > BTMA > BTEA > Cs > Mg > K > Na > Li. Model calculations also suggested that sites were present which bound exchangeable cations, particularly K+, Na+, and Mg2+, very tightly.

The adsorption of the monovalent organic cations benzyltrimethylammonium (BTMA) and benzyltriethylammonium (BTEA) to montmorillonite was studied as a function of their concentrations and ionic strength. At low ionic strength the adsorbed amounts of BTMA and BTEA reached values of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the clay. An increase in the ionic strength resulted in reduction in the adsorbed amounts of the organic cations, unlike the pattern observed previously with organic monovalent cationic dyes. The reduction in adsorbed amounts of BTMA and BTEA depended on the inorganic cations according to the sequence Cs+ > Na+ > Li+, which follows the sequence of binding coefficients of these inorganic cations added. The type of the anion (that is, Cl−, ClO4−, SO42-) had no effect on the adsorbed amounts. An adsorption model which considers the electrostatic Gouy-Chapman equations, specific binding and closeness of the system could adequately simulate the adsorbed amounts of BTMA and BTEA and yield predictions for the effect of the ionic strength and concentration of electrolytes. The binding coefficient employed was K = 5000 M−1 for the formation of neutral complexes of BTMA and BTEA. This value is larger than those found for the inorganic cations but is several orders of magnitude below those found for the monovalent dyes. The binding coefficients for the formation of charged complexes of BTMA and BTEA were 20 and 5 M−1, respectively. The basal spacing of the clay did not change significantly with the adsorbed amounts of both BTMA and BTEA up to the CEC.

Adsorption-desorption of Cd to Ca montmorillonite (SAz-1) was studied at concentrations ranging from 44.5 to 266.8 μM. An adsorption model was employed in the analysis of the data. The procedure consists of solving the electrostatic Gouy-Chapman equations and calculating adsorbed amounts of the cations as the sum of the cations residing in the double-layer region, and the cations chemically bound to the surface, in a closed system. The model also accounts explicitly for cation complexation in solution. The model yields good predictions for the adsorbed amounts of Cd, Ca and Mg, by employing binding coefficients from previous studies for the divalent cations and for Na, K and CdCl+. The model calculations also yield good predictions for the apparent hysteresis observed in the adsorbed amounts of Cd after each of 3 cycles of desorption. The apparent hysteresis is explained by the reduction in the total concentrations of Ca and Mg in desorption cycles, and the corresponding increase in the magnitude of the surface potential. Our estimates indicate that adsorption of Cd is mostly to planar, rather than edge sites of the clay mineral.