-

profdraboushook@gmail.com

:

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.
:

.
.


. %6
%5
.

 -1


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][7-1

.





.

.
-2
. )(1


) (2
2


7 ) (3
.

) (1

][8

Small gate

(To Khulais (7 km

P1
Makkah
Madina
Highway

P6
P2

P4

P5

P3

) (2
7

 ) (3 )
2 3 (

-3

0.075 ) 200(

][9,10

:
= % 15 = % 40 = 5.5 = 604

 )( 4 3 2 :.
)( 3.50 :.
)( 10 8 : 15.

-4
:
-1 % 6
.%90
-2
.
35 2 / 24 2 / 6
% ).(4
-3



).(5

40

35

Dry Activation

25

20

Wet Activation

15

)Free Swell Index (ml/2g

30

10

0
13

11

12

10

Sodium Carbonate %

) (4 ) (

40

35

Hand Grinding
Ring Grinding

25

Stamp Grinding
20

15

)Free swell Index (ml/2g

30

10

0
70

60

50

40

30

20

10

)Time (min

) (5 ) %6
(

 -4
) (6

.


.

40

35

Ball Mill
25

Rod Mill

20

15

)Free Swell Index (ml/2g

30

10

0
8

)Time (Hours

) (6 %6

-

).(7
7

40

35

Fine Grinding

25

20

15

)Free swell Index (ml/2g

Coarse Grinding

30

10

0
120

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

)Time (min

) (7 %6

-8 ) (

).(9 8

40

35

Egyptian Bentonite

30

20

15

)Free Swell Index (ml/2g

Saudi Bentonite

25

10

0
60

50

40

30

20

10

% of Commercial Bentonite

) (8
) (

60
55

Egyptian Bentonite

50
45

35
30

Egyptian Bentonite +
6%Na2Co3

25
20

Saudi Bentonite +
6%Na2Co3

15
10
5
0
60

50

40

30

20

10

% of Commercial Bentonite

) (9
%6

-5
9

)Free Swell Index (ml/2g

Saudi Bentonite

40

 -
:
-

%8





.

.
.

-2
2 .

0.075 .


10

 0.075 .







8


.


.

) :(10
-

% 6

% 5
.

11

50
45
2% Eg. Bent.

40

5% Eg. Bent.

30
10% Egy. Bent.
25
2% Sa. Bent.

20
15

5% Sa. Bent.

)Free Swell Index (ml/2g

35

10
10% Sa. Bent.
5
0
9

% of Sodium Carbonate

) (10

- % 90
% 80
) .(11
.

12

45

S1

40
35

S2

S3
25
20

S4

15

S5

)Free Swell Index (ml/2g

30

10

S6

5
0
4

)Time (HRS

) (11 ) %5
%6 + (

-
1 .
) (12

.

13

30

28

27

26

Methylene Blue Value after 1 hr Grinding

)(ml / 1g

Methylene Blue Value

29

25
S6

S5

S4

S3

S1

S2

) (12
) %5 %6 + (

-6

14

][15-11

 :
)
(.

:
-

.
) (2 1 )
.(13
) (1 )
Khulais
(Mechanical
)Activated

Khulais
(Manual
)Activated
40
280
28

Khulais
)(Natural

Commercial
Saudi

Wyoming
)(USA

14
90
22

50
425
33

65
505
35

72

67.2

55

82.5

88

630
15
1.06

588
20
1.04

462
38
1.02

693
12.5
1.07

735
12
1.1

43
350
30

15

) (API and ASTM

Properties

)Free Swell Index(ml/2gm

)Plasticity Index (%
)Methylene Blue Value (ml/1g
Cation Exchange Capacity CEC
)(meq/100g
)Total Surface Area (m2/1g
)Slurry Filtration Loss (ml
)Slurry Density (gm/ cm3

Slurry Apparent Viscosit (sec)

45

40

30

34

37

( 2)
( )
Types of
Bentonite

Wyoming
(USA)
Commercial
Saudi
Khulais
(Natural)
Khulais
(Manual
Activated)
Khulais
(Mechanical
Activated)

% of
Relative
Activation
For
Free Swell

% of
Relative
Activation
For
Plasticity
Index

% of
Relative
Activation
For
Cation
Exchange
Capacity

% of
Relative
Activation
For Filtration
Loss

% of
Relative
Activation
For
Density

% of
Relative
Activation
For
apparent
Viscosity

100

100

100

100

100

100

78

84

94

96

78

89

22

18

63

32

22

67

62

64

80

60

44

76

66

69

86

80

67

82

600

% of Activation
For apparent
Viscosity

500

% of Relative ativation;

% of Activation
For density
400

% of Activation
For Filtration Loss
300

200

% of Activation
For Cation
Exchange Capacity

100

% of Activation
For Plasticity Index

0
Wyoming (USA)

Commercial Saudi Khulais (Natural)

Khulais (Manual
Activated)

Khulais
(Mechanical
Activated)

% Activation
for Free Swell

( 13)
( )
16


% 75
.

-7



:
-1 0.075.
-2 %6 .
-3 % 5
.
-4
.


:

17

% 66 .

% 69 .

 % 86

.
% 80

. % 67

. % 82

. %75



.
References:
[1] nal, M. 2007. Swelling and cation exchange capacity relationship for the samples obtained
from a bentonite by acid activations and heat treatments. Applied Clay Science 20, 1-7.
[2] nal, M., Sarkaya, Y., Alemdarolu, T., 2002. The effect of acid activation on some
physicochemical properties of a bentonite. Turkish Journal of Chemistry 26, 409416
[3] Christidis, G.E., Scott, P.W., Dunham, A.C., 1997. Acid activation and bleaching capacity of
bentonites from the islands of Milos and Chios Aegean, Greece. Applied Clay Science 12, 329
374
[4] Hassan, M.; Abdelkhalek,N. and Abdelrazek, M., 1997. Evaluation the role of beneficiation and
activation of an Egyptian bentonite ore. Proc. of Fifth International Conference on Petroleum,
Mining & Metallurgical Engineering, Suez Canal University, 108-126
[5] Spencer, C.H.; Le Berre, P. and Pasquet, J.F., 1986. Additional drilling and
industrial suitability tests in the Khulais bentonite deposit: Saudi Arabian
Deputy for Mineral Resources , BRGM-OF-08-1,40p
[6] Ai-Zahrani, Al- Asahrani, S. and Ai-Tawil, Y.A, 2000. Study on the activation of Saudi natural
bentonite, part 11. Journal of King Saudi University, Engineering Sciences, Issue 2- Vol. 13.
[7] Christidis, G.E; P. W. Scott, P.W. and Dunham, A.C. 1997. Acid activation and bleaching
capacity of bentonites from the islands of Milos and Chios, Aegean, Greece. Applied Clay
Science, Volume 12, Issue 4, October 1997, Pages 329-347.
[8] DGMR, 1994. Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia Directorate General of Mineral Resources,
Saudi Arabia, Special Publication, Sp2: 27-29.
[9] Naim M., 2004. Hydraulic, Diffusion, and Retention Characteristics of Inorganic Chemicals in
Bentonite. Ph.d. Thesis, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of
Engineering, University of South Florida, 251pp.
[10] ASTM D 5890-02, Standard Test Method for Swell Index of Clay Mineral Component of
Geosynthetic Clay Liners, Annual Book of ASTM Standards 2002, Vol. 04.13, American
Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, PA.
[11] Wersin, P., Curti, E., Appelo, C.A.J., 2004. Modeling bentonitewater interactions at high
solid/liquid ratios: swelling and diffuse double layer effects. Applied Clay Science 26, 249257.
[12] ASTM D 4318-00 (2000) Standard Test Methods for Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity
Index of Soils, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 04.08, American Society for Testing and
Materials, Philadelphia, PA
18

[13] Bujdak, J., Janek, M., Madejova, J., Komadel, P., 2001. Methylene Blue Interactions with
Reduced-Charge Smectites, Clays and Clay Minerals, vol.49, no.3, pp.244-254, Jun 2001.
[14] Long, M.B. 2000. Guide to Specfication Preperation for Slurry Walls and Clay Liners,
Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Division of Minerals and Geology, Denver,
Colorado.
[15] API, American Petroleum Institute (1990), Standard Procedures for Field Testing Water-Based
Drilling Fluids, Specification API 13B-1, Washington, DC.

Activation of Khulais bentonite using fine grinding technique

MN.H. Al-Maghrabi and M. Aboushook
Mining Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia
profdraboushook@gmail.com

ABSTRACT: Khulais region in Saudi Arabia has a big reserve of calcium

bentonite which does not satisfy the request specification of commercial
bentonite.
Some studies has been done to activate this bentonite by addition of
sodium carbonate in a wet condition but it gave low activation which are
faraway from the required specifications.
In this work, the grinding energy was used in dry state to activate khulais
bentonite with different percentages of sodium carbonate. Also a few
percentage of a commercial certificated bentonite was mixed to obtain
more activation. The activation of bentonite was measured for the
following properties: free swell index; plasticity index; methylene blue
value; cation exchang capacity; total surface area, filtration loss; density
and apparent viscosity. Then, the values of these properties were compared
with the required specification for drilling mud.
From the obtained results, this research work gave the following new
approach:
The optimum conditions of Khulais calcium bentonite to become an active
bentonite as near as possible to the specification of drilling mud are when
it is mixed with 5% commercial certificated bentonite and 6% sodium
carbonate in a grinding mill for one hour in dry state.

19

20