Mineralogy and petrology of comet 81P/wild 2 nucleus samples

The bulk of the comet 81P/Wild 2 (hereafter Wild 2) samples returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft appear to be weakly constructed mixtures of nanometer-scale grains, with occasional much larger (over 1 micrometer) ferromagnesian silicates, Fe-Ni sulfides, Fe-Ni metal, and accessory phases. The very wide range of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene compositions in comet Wild 2 requires a wide range of formation conditions, probably reflecting very different formation locations in the protoplanetary disk. The restricted compositional ranges of Fe-Ni sulfides, the wide range for silicates, and the absence of hydrous phases indicate that comet Wild 2 experienced little or no aqueous alteration. Less abundant Wild 2 materials include a refractory particle, whose presence appears to require radial transport in the early protoplanetary disk

Réactivité des matériaux argileux dans un contexte de corrosion métallique : application au stockage des déchets radioactifs en site argileux

ln order to confine radioactive wastes in deep settings, it is envisaged to use some natural clay materials and bentonites. Their stability when in contact with metallic iron, main component of the canisters, is studied. These studies show that the reactivity of such materials is mainly controlled by those of their dioctaedral smectites and kaolinites. On the contrary, the presence of sulfides stops the Fe(O)-clays reaction. The kind of reaction products depends on the quantity of available metallic iron. When pH is over 7, the Fe(O) is oxidized consecutive to a physical contact with the oxidant agents of the smectite (H+, OH- et Fe3+). This reaction is favored by the heterogeneities of the lateral surfaces of the smectite, which then describes a microenvironments in which some serpentines grow up if the iron supply is sufficient. Such new-crystallizations imply a decrease of the confinement properties of the clay barrier.Afin d'assurer le confinement de déchets radioactifs en milieu géologique profond, il est envisagé d'utiliser des matériaux argileux de site et des bentonites. Leur stabilité en présence de fer métal, constituant des conteneurs de déchets, est étudiée. Ces études démontrent que la réactivité de tels matériaux est principalement portée par les smectites dioctaédriques et les kaolinites qu'ils contiennent. En revanche, la présence de sulfures inhibe la réaction Fe(O)-argiles. La nature du produit de réaction dépend de la quantité de fer métal disponible. A pH basique, par contact physique avec les agents oxydants de la smectite (H+, OH- et Fe3+), le Fe(O) est corrodé. Cette réaction est favorisée par les hétérogénéités des surfaces latérales de la smectite, qui altérée définit un micro-domaine à l'intérieur duquel nucléent des serpentines-Fe si l'apport en fer est suffisant. De telles néoformations entrainent une diminution des propriétés de confinement de la barrière argileuse

Réactivité des matériaux argileux dans un contexte de corrosion métallique. Application au stockage profond des déchets radioactifs en site argileux

Rapporteurs : Martine Buatier et Gilles Berger Examinateurs : Alain Meunier et Olivier Grauby Président : Michel Cathelineau Invités : Michel Jullien (encadrant) Gérard BrunoIn order to confine radioactive wastes in deep settings, it is envisaged to use some natural clay materials and bentonites. Their stability when in contact with metallic iron, main component of the canisters, is studied. These studies show that the reactivity of such materials is mainly controlled by those of their dioctaedral smectites and kaolinites. On the contrary, the presence of sulfides stops the Fe(0)-clays reaction. The kind of reaction products depends on the quantity of available metallic iron. When pH is over 7, the Fe(0) is oxidized consecutive to a physical contact with the oxidant agents of the smectite (H+, OH- et Fe3+). This reaction is favored by the heterogeneities of the lateral surfaces of the smectite, which then describes a microenvironments in which some serpentines grow up if the iron supply is sufficient. Such new-crystallizations imply a decrease of the confinement properties of the clay barrier.Afin d'assurer le confinement de déchets radioactifs en milieu géologique profond, il est envisagé d'utiliser des matériaux argileux de site et des bentonites. Leur stabilité en présence de fer métal, constituant des conteneurs de déchets, est étudiée. Ces études démontrent que la réactivité de tels matériaux est principalement portée par les smectites dioctaédriques et les kaolinites qu'ils contiennent. En revanche, la présence de sulfures inhibe la réaction Fe(0)-argiles. La nature du produit de réaction dépend de la quantité de fer métal disponible. A pH basique, par contact physique avec les agents oxydants de la smectite (H+, OH- et Fe3+), le Fe(0) est corrodé. Cette réaction est favorisée par les hétérogénéités des surfaces latérales de la smectite, qui altérée définit un micro-domaine à l'intérieur duquel nucléent des serpentines-Fe si l'apport en fer est suffisant. De telles néoformations entrainent une diminution des propriétés de confinement de la barrière argileuse

Réactivité des matériaux argileux dans un contexte de corrosion métallique (application au stockage des déchets radioactifs en site argileux)

Afin d'assurer le confinement de déchets radioactifs en milieu géologique profond, il est envisagé d'utiliser des matériaux argileux de site et des bentonites. Leur stabilité en présence de fer métal, constituant des conteneurs de déchets, est étudiée. Ces études démontrent que la réactivité de tels matériaux est principalement portée par les smectites dioctaédriques et les kaolinites qu'ils contiennent. En revanche, la présence de sulfures inhibe la réaction Fe(O)-argiles. La nature du produit de réaction dépend de la quantité de fer métal disponible. A pH basique, par contact physique avec les agents oxydants de la smectite (H+, OH- et Fe3+), le Fe(O) est corrodé. Cette réaction est favorisée par les hétérogénéités des surfaces latérales de la smectite, qui altérée définit un micro-domaine à l'intérieur duquel nucléent des serpentines-Fe si l'apport en fer est suffisant. De telles néoformations entrainent une diminution des propriétés de confinement de la barrière argileuse.ln order to confine radioactive wastes in deep settings, it is envisaged to use some natural clay materials and bentonites. Their stability when in contact with metallic iron, main component of the canisters, is studied. These studies show that the reactivity of such materials is mainly controlled by those of their dioctaedral smectites and kaolinites. On the contrary, the presence of sulfides stops the Fe(O)-clays reaction. The kind of reaction products depends on the quantity of available metallic iron. When pH is over 7, the Fe(O) is oxidized consecutive to a physical contact with the oxidant agents of the smectite (H+, OH- et Fe3+). This reaction is favored by the heterogeneities of the lateral surfaces of the smectite, which then describes a microenvironments in which some serpentines grow up if the iron supply is sufficient. Such new-crystallizations imply a decrease of the confinement properties of the clay barrier.NANCY/VANDOEUVRE-INPL (545472102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Towards a link between the energetic heterogeneities of the edge faces of smectites and their stability in a context of metallic corrosion

International audienceIn the context of the potential confinement of high-level radioactive wastes (HLW) within clay Engineered Barrier System (EBS) in deep geological formation, the evolution of the retention properties of smectite when interacting with Fe(0) needs to be assessed. If some potential natural analogues describing the iron-clay reactivity are easily found, metallic iron-clay interactions are poorly described on Earth. Therefore experimental investigations are needed. Several parameters influence Fe(0)-clay interactions such as temperature, interlayer composition of swelling clays, presence of octahedral Fe3+... On a geometrical point of view it is thought that clay destabilization is mainly controlled by phenomena starting at the edge faces of the particles. In the present work, the rates of the smectite-Fe(0) reaction at 80°C were assessed by XRD, Mössbauer and CEC analyses for three smectites. These ones show marked differences in stability degree which, however, can not be explained by the crystal-chemistry rules established in previous studies. Therefore, the Fe(0)-smectites interactions were studied in view of textural and energetic surface quantitative analyses. The studied smectites have equivalent nitrogen BET specific surface areas, equivalent argon edge surface areas and slightly different basal surface areas. This similarity in particle shape indicates that the edge surface area can not be accounted for to explain the observed differences in reactivity. But, a correlation is obtained between smectite reactivity and the energetic heterogeneity of its edge faces. This is interpreted in terms of a multiplication of the number of sites on the edge faces where the electron transfer between Fe(0) and the smectite structure can occur

Understanding the Formation of Geopolymer Foams: Influence of the Additives

International audienc

Mineralogy and Petrology of Comet 81P/Wild 2 Nucleus Samples

The bulk of the comet 81P/Wild 2 (hereafter Wild 2) samples returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft appear to be weakly constructed mixtures of nanometer-scale grains, with occasional much larger (over 1 micrometer) ferromagnesian silicates, Fe-Ni sulfides, Fe-Ni metal, and accessory phases. The very wide range of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene compositions in comet Wild 2 requires a wide range of formation conditions, probably reflecting very different formation locations in the protoplanetary disk. The restricted compositional ranges of Fe-Ni sulfides, the wide range for silicates, and the absence of hydrous phases indicate that comet Wild 2 experienced little or no aqueous alteration. Less abundant Wild 2 materials include a refractory particle, whose presence appears to require radial transport in the early protoplanetary disk

Research article - Comet 81P/Wild 2 under a microscope

The Stardust spacecraft collected thousands of particles from comet 81P/Wild 2 and returned them to Earth for laboratory study. The preliminary examination of these samples shows that the nonvolatile portion of the comet is an unequilibrated assortment of materials that have both presolar and solar system origin. The comet contains an abundance of silicate grains that are much larger than predictions of interstellar grain models, and many of these are high-temperature minerals that appear to have formed in the inner regions of the solar nebula. Their presence in a comet proves that the formation of the solar system included mixing on the grandest scales