Effect of clay mineral type on the viscosity of dilute clay suspension

• Published in: Transactions of The Japanese Society of Irrigation, Drainage and Reclamation Engineering Vol. 2004; no. 229; pp. 23 - 28
• Main Authors: Nakaishi, K. (Ibaraki Univ., Ami (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture), Kurihara, A, Ooi, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Japanese Society of Irrigation, Drainage and Rural Engineering 2004
• Subjects: CLAY MINERALS; COLLOIDAL PROPERTIES; Dilute suspension; DISPERSIONS; Huggins's coefficient; HYDRODYNAMICS; KAOLINITE; Limiting viscosity; Montmorillonite; MONTMORILLONITES; VISCOSITY
• ISSN: 0387-2335; 1884-7234
• DOI: 10.11408/jsidre1965.2004.23

Abstract High-swelling montmorillonite shows abnormally large viscosity in comparison with low-swelling kaolinite, but the mechanism for causing such difference has not been clarified. The viscosity of dilute suspension of montmorillonite and kaolinite was measured precisely by using an Ostwald viscometer, and the effect of mineral species on the viscosity was discussed. The limiting viscosity [i], which is a hydrodynamic interaction between particle and solvent, reflected the effect of the shape of the particle; in addition, the change in [i] with salt concentration was dependent only on the thickness of the diffuse double layer, regardless of the differences in the electric charges of the clay minerals. The hydrodynamic interaction caused by the interparticles collision was discussed by using the Huggins's coefficient, k. According to Einstein's and Batchelor's viscosity formula, the k of the rigid body-sphere particle was roughly equal to 1, as was k of the clay minerals. This result seems to be valid for kaolinite, since the particles are thick and firm. However, behavior of montmorillonite particles, which has a sheet-like shape and a flexible structure, was also close to that of the rigid body particle. Furthermore, because increment of viscosity caused by the interparticles collision is almost equal to the square of the limiting viscosity, the hydrodynamic interaction is dependent only on the shape of the article, and not affected by type of clay minerals.