Improvement in the Hydraulic Properties of Kaolinite with Adding Nanoclay

Due to special properties of clay, it has widely been used in geotechnical and geoenvironmental projects such as barriers in which very low seepage is required. With advances in nanotechnology, we are witnessing of nanomaterials application to modify material properties in different branches of engineering such as geotechnical engineering. In this study, the hydraulic properties of Kaolinite extracted from Zenuz mine have been investigated experimentally by using nanoclay as an additive. A series of tests, comprising Atterberg limits, standard compaction, one dimensional consolidation and cation exchange capacity test, were conducted on Kaolinite and modified Kaolinite with 1%, 2%, 4%, and 8% nanoclay. According to experimental results, adding 8% nanoclay to Kaolinite increased plasticity index to 184%, and decreased the hydraulic conductivity 300 times when compared with raw Kaolinite. In addition, results of cation exchange capacity test showed that nanoclay caused an increase in cation exchange capacity from 12 to 21 meq/100 gr. This increase was related to a considerable increase in the amount of Na.