Reactivity of the cement–bentonite interface with alkaline solutions using transport cells

Clayey formations are considered as suitable host rocks to develop a Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for nuclear wastes. A concrete ring, located between the clayey formation and the bentonite barrier, is needed as structural support for the galleries. This material will act as a source of alkaline fluids when the formation’s pore water saturates the system. This investigation evaluates the performance of the concrete-bentonite system by means of both geochemical codes and experimental results. A column made of compacted bentonite from La Serrata (Almería, Spain) (1.4 g/cm3, dry density) was held in contact with an ordinary Portland cement (OPC) mortar. Two alkaline solutions (Ca(OH)2 saturated and NaOH 0.25 M) were injected from the mortar’s side at 25, 60 and 120 °C. The permeability of the system and the effluent fluid composition were determined periodically. Finally, the solid phase was sampled and analyzed after 1 year of treatment. Ca(OH)2 saturated fluids does not alter the mineralogy over the experiment time scale. NaOH fluids produced minor changes at 60–25 °C but at 120 °C a thin tobermorite layer of 1.5 mm precipitates in the clay aggregate surfaces at the interface. After this layer, analcime nucleates in heterogeneous patches affecting the whole compacted bentonite probe (2 cm thickness). The use of the PHREEQC code thermodynamic approach predicts the mineralogical transformations. However, it is necessary to introduce kinetic laws and to consider the existence of stagnant zones in the model in order to simulate the heterogeneous spatial alteration observed.