Cation exchange behaviour of kimberlite in solutions containing Cu2+ and K+

Kimberlite weathering: Effects of organic reagents

“…According to Morkel (2006), a correlation can be drawn between CEC and the smectite content, which can predict the weathering behaviour. Kimberlite that contains around 30 per cent swelling clay minerals will show rapid weathering in cation solutions compared to very low weathering in distilled water (Morkel, 2006). The Finsch ore was therefore a suitable ore sample for accelerated weathering test.…”

“…Less or no information could be gathered on the d 80 or d 50 values. Therefore, a reference of the amount of particles passing 12 mm (12000 µm) was adopted from Morkel (2006), so as to compare the results.…”

“…According to Morkel (2006), Cu 2+ has the ability to adsorb not only at interlayers of the particle crystal structure but also on other sites such as crystal edges. This process reduces the surface energy that reduces the energy required to produce fresh crack surfaces during weathering.…”

“…Similar to the work by Morkel (2006), evaluating the weathering kinetics of oxalic acid and Cu 2+ media, the n th -order kinetic model (Equation 1) was utilised. The rate of initial Na + dissolution in the first 72 hours is shown in Figures 4a and 4b .…”

“…inorganic solutions (Boshoff et al, 2007;Morkel, 2006. Results showed that swelling clay minerals, especially the smectite species, were responsible for accelerating the breaking down of kimberlite material.…”