A simplified method to evaluate the swelling capacity evolution of a bentonite barrier related to geochemical transformations

The results showed that the swelling capacity of the engineered barrier is not drastically affected after about 3000 years of reaction and transport because the volume of neo-formed swelling clays is almost directly proportional on the volume of transformed montmorillonite. In fact, a graphical method predicted that the decay of swelling capacity of the engineered barrier lies between 11% and 14% when the montmorillonite is completely transformed (cation exchange + minimal geochemical transformation) in the system.