Hydrotalcite stability during long-term exposure to natural environmental conditions

Hydrotalcite-like compounds are a group of layered double hydroxides widely studied as sorbents to remove organic and inorganic contaminants under laboratory conditions. This study is a proof-of-concept of the long-term fate of hydrotalcite compounds under natural environmental conditions, to bridge the gap between laboratory studies and their field application as sorbents. Hydrotalcite (HT) with intercalated carbonate species (HT-CO₃) and dodecyl sulphate (HT-DS) were synthesised and placed in two groundwater monitoring wells in Denmark, one contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons and another with uncontaminated groundwater. To assess the structural and surface compositional changes of hydrotalcite compounds upon prolonged exposure to groundwater, the material was analysed with powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the stability and dissolution behaviour of hydrotalcite compounds under groundwater conditions depended on the intercalated anion (CO₃²⁻ > DS) and groundwater dynamics (static flow > dynamic flow), while the hydrotalcite aggregate size only had a minor effect. Groundwater geochemistry influenced the precipitation of insoluble species (CaCO₃, and adsorbed sulphate) on the hydrotalcite surface. The instability of hydrotalcite compounds, especially in the case of HT-DS, may constitute a significant limiting factor on their future application as sorbents under dynamic flow conditions.