Effect of Illite Particle Shape on Cesium Sorption

Abstract

Abstract Samples containing illite and illite-smectite, having different crystal shapes (plates, “barrels”, and filaments), were selected for sorption experiments with cesium. There is a positive correlation between total surface area and Cs-sorption capacity, but no correlation between total surface area and the distribution coefficient, K d . Generally K d increases with the edge surface area, although “hairy” (filamentous) illite does not fit this pattern, possibly because elongation of crystals along one axis reduces the number of specific sorption sites.