Electrokinetic Forces as an Electrical Measure of Chemical Aging Potential in Granular Materials

The zeta potential of soils is an electric potential in the double-layer interface and is a physical property exhibited by any particle related to electrochemical attractive forces. On the other hand, the chemical aging phenomenon is seen as the chief mechanism of the aging of sands due to the dissolution and precipitation of minerals, resulting in the development of the cementation of particles in granular mediums. The present investigation focuses on determining whether granular materials can generate cementation due to electrokinetic forces, and if the zeta potential could be related as a measure of the potential of chemical aging. X-ray fluorescence and diffraction tests were performed to characterize four representative fractions of one kind of sand, and zeta potential studies were carried out to determine the electrical potential on the mineral surfaces of each one. Zeta potential analysis showed both dependence on the mineralogical content and the variation in the pH of the colloidal solution fluid because the increase in OH- ion concentrations increases the thickness of the diffuse double layer and the electrokinetic forces of attraction. Moreover, the zeta potential showed an increase in the thickness of the diffuse double layer, due to the electrokinetic forces, which can be associated with the development of cohesive forces with a dependence on the mineralogy of sands.