It has been found that disintegration of kimberlite in contact with water is associated with the swelling of clays (such as smectite). This work investigates the possibility that cation exchange between kimberlite and the aqueous weathering medium could enhance or It is suggested that it may not only be swelling that determines the weathering behaviour of kimberlite but that the cations possibly influence the surface energy.
Kimberlite is the host rock of diamonds and varies widely in geological, and mineralogical features as well as colour, processing capability and dewatering characteristics. This study investigated the dewatering behaviour of problematic Angolan kimberlites. The presence of clay minerals in kimberlite causes difficulties in dewatering due to high flocculant demand, poor supernatant clarity and low settling rates. Identifying critical parameters governing the settling behaviour will assist in managing the settling behaviour of different kimberlite slurries. The influence of particle size, pH of the kimberlite slurry, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable sodium percentage and smectite content of the kimberlite on the settling rate were investigated for 18 different African kimberlite samples. The settling rate and slurry bed compaction during natural settling were also measured for the kimberlite slurries. Seventeen different Angolan clay-rich kimberlites and one South African clay-rich kimberlite were tested and, except for two kimberlites, colloidal stability was experienced during natural settling. The pH values of the kimberlite slurries ranged between 9 -11, which is similar to the pH band where colloidal stability was found during earlier research.
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