Coupled Mechanical and Chemical Behavior of Bentonite Engineered with a Controlled Organic Phase

Abstract

This experimental investigation quantified the physical and chemical behavior of two organoclays, synthesized using the quaternary ammonium organic cations hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA) and benzyltriethylammonium chloride (BTEA). The organic cations were exchanged onto montmorillonite at increasing percentages of the clay’s cation exchange capacity in order to increase the packing density of the organic cations on the clay surfaces. Increasing the organic content of the organoclays, and the cation packing density, decreased the specific gravity,