Thermostability of montmorillonitic clays

Abstract

Bentonite is one of the most widespread used clays connected with various applications. In the case of foundry technology, bentonite is primarily used as a binder for mold manufacture. Thermal stability of bentonites is a natural property of clay minerals and it depends on the genesis, source and chemical composition of the clay. This property is also closely connected to bentonite structure. According to DTA analysis if only one peak of dehydroxylation is observed (about 600 ºC), the cis- isomerism of bentonite is expected, while two peaks of de-hydroxylation (about 550 and 850 ºC) are expected in the trans- one. In this overview, the bentonite structure, the water - bentonite interaction and the swelling behavior of bentonite in connection with the general technological properties of bentonite molding mixture are summarized. Further, various types of methods for determination of bentonite thermostability are discussed, including instrumental analytical methods as well as methods that employ evaluation of various technological properties of bentonite binders and/or bentonite molding mixtures.