Determining the cation exchange capacity of montmorillonite by simultaneous thermal analysis method

A way of determining the cation exchange capacity of montmorillonite by simultaneous thermal analysis is developed using as an example the bentonites of the 10th Khutor deposit (Republic of Khakassia) and the Vodopadnyi area (Sakhalin Island). A correlation is established between the cation exchange capacity of smectite and its weight loss upon heating in the range of dehydration; the enthalpy of dehydration of montmorillonite; and the weight loss and the enthalpy of thermal dissociation of ethylene glycol contained in the interlayer space of the mineral’s crystal structure. These data open up new possibilities for determining the cation exchange capacity of montmorillonite, the most important technological indicator of the natural clay nanomineral.