{rfName}
Be

Indexed in

License and use

Icono OpenAccess

Citations

26

Altmetrics

Grant support

The research presented in this manuscript belongs to the EURAD-ACED Project which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 847593.

Analysis of institutional authors

Cuevas, JCorresponding AuthorMota-Heredia, CAuthorFernandez, RAuthorRuiz, AiCorresponding Author

Share

Publications
>
Article

Bentonite Powder XRD Quantitative Analysis Using Rietveld Refinement: Revisiting and Updating Bulk Semiquantitative Mineralogical Compositions

Publicated to:Minerals. 12 (6): 772- - 2022-06-01 12(6), DOI: 10.3390/min12060772

Authors: Cuevas, Jaime; Angel Cabrera, Miguel; Fernandez, Carlos; Mota-Heredia, Carlos; Fernandez, Raul; Torres, Elena; Jesus Turrero, Maria; Isabel Ruiz, Ana;

Affiliations

CIEMAT, Av Complutense 40, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author
Univ Autonoma Madrid, Fac Ciencias, Dept Geol & Geoquim, Madrid 28049, Spain - Author

Abstract

Bentonite is a claystone formed by a complex mineralogical mixture, composed of montmorillonite, illite, and accessory minerals like quartz, cristobalite, feldspars, carbonates, and minor amounts of iron oxy-hydroxides. Bentonite presents complexity at various scales: (1): a single mineral may present different chemical composition within the same quarry (e.g., feldspars solid solutions); (2): montmorillonite presents variability in the cation-exchange distribution while illite may be presented as mixed-layer with smectite sheets; and (3): hardness and crystal size are larger in accessory minerals than in clay minerals, preventing uniform grinding of bentonite. The FEBEX bentonite used is originally from Almeria (Spain), and it is a predominantly calcium, magnesium, and sodium bentonite. This Spanish FEBEX bentonite has been hydrothermally altered at laboratory scale for 7-14 years. A thermal gradient was generated by heating a disk of pressed iron powder, simulating the metal waste canister, in contact with the compacted bentonite sample. Hydration was forced from the opposite direction. XRD recorded patterns were very similar. In order to minimize the bias of XRD semi-quantitative determination methods, Rietveld refinement was performed using BGMN software and different structural models. Confidence in the quantification of the main phases allows us to convincingly detect other subtle changes such as the presence of calcite in the hydration front, right at the interface between the saturated and unsaturated bentonite, or the presence of goethite, and not hematite, in the saturated bentonite, near the source of hydration. Smectite component was 72 +/- 3% and the refinement was consistent with the presence of similar to 10% illite, comparable with previous characterizations.

Keywords

BentoniteClay-mineralsIlliteIron-bentonite interactionMontmorilloniteNuclearPatternsRadioactive-wasteRietveld refinementX-ray diffraction

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Minerals due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2022, it was in position 8/20, thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Mining & Mineral Processing. Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q2 para la agencia Scopus (SJR) en la categoría Geology.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations provided by WoS (ESI, Clarivate), it yields a value for the citation normalization relative to the expected citation rate of: 1.41. This indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 14, 2024)

This information is reinforced by other indicators of the same type, which, although dynamic over time and dependent on the set of average global citations at the time of their calculation, consistently position the work at some point among the top 50% most cited in its field:

  • Weighted Average of Normalized Impact by the Scopus agency: 5.68 (source consulted: FECYT Feb 2024)
  • Field Citation Ratio (FCR) from Dimensions: 11.27 (source consulted: Dimensions Jul 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-07-01, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 5
  • Scopus: 21

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-07-01:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 70.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 69 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 0.5.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 1 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://repositorio.uam.es/handle/10486/706762

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (CUEVAS RODRIGUEZ, JAIME FERNANDO) and Last Author (RUIZ GARCIA, ANA ISABEL).

the authors responsible for correspondence tasks have been CUEVAS RODRIGUEZ, JAIME FERNANDO and RUIZ GARCIA, ANA ISABEL.