Clay Reactivity: Water Quality and Biogeochemistry

This lecture explores the reactivity of clay particles, focusing on their large permanent charge, surface area, and structure. It delves into cation exchange processes, edge vs. face surface estimates, and the role of clay in plant nutrient storage and nuclear waste isolation. The lecture also covers the thermodynamics of cation exchange, electrical balance of surface charge, interlayer molecular dynamics, and clay particle heterogeneous nucleation. Additionally, it discusses edge cation adsorption, nuclear waste geological storage in clay stone formations, slow diffusion in clay layers, and the key takeaways regarding clay adsorption and its applications in soil, agriculture, and waste isolation.