Bentonite Clays Related to Volcanosedimentary Formations in Southeastern Spain: Mineralogical, Chemical and Pozzolanic Characteristics

The volcanism that took place during the Neogene in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula caused a large accumulation of volcanosedimentary materials, which were subsequently altered and transformed into bentonite deposits. The mineral composition and technical quality of these deposits have been demonstrated and established in this work. The main object of this research is the mineral, chemical and thermal characterization of the bentonites that lie in the southeastern region of Spain and to demonstrate their technical capabilities to be used as pozzolans. The first phase of characterization of the samples was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), oriented aggregates (OAs), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In the second phase, a chemical–technical quality test (CTQT) was carried out, aimed at determining reactive SiO2 and reactive CaO, whereas in the third phase, a chemical pozzolanicity test (CPT) was carried out to establish the pozzolanic behavior of the samples over two test periods: 8 and 15 days. The XRD and OA analyses showed that the bentonite samples are made up of a main phase formed by montmorillonite, quartz, plagioclase-albite and chabazite–Ca. The results obtained by XRF on the bentonite samples indicated that the SiO2 contents are high and vary between 43.33% and 64.71%, while Al2O3 ranges between 15.81% and 17.49%. The CTQT established that more than 80% of the SiO2 and CaO present in the samples are reactive, which was confirmed by the results of the chemical pozzolanicity test (CPT). The results obtained show that the bentonites in this study present technical qualities that are undoubtedly reinforced by their mineral constitution and chemical composition. These tests could become a practical guide for the selection of eco-efficient materials in the production of pozzolanic cements and environmentally friendly ceramic products.