Mineralogical and chemical study of Spanish common clays with regard to their use in pelotherapy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.122.3.007Keywords:
common clays, mineralogy, pelotherapy, toxic trace elementsAbstract
The mineralogical (whole sample and clay fraction) and chemical compositions of 5 representative samples of Spanish common clays have been studied to evaluate their use in pelotherapy. The mineralogy of the samples revealed clays with phyllosilicate contents of between 53% and 74% and minor quantities of quartz, calcite, dolomite, feldspars, gypsum, pyrite and hematite. Smectite was the predominant clay mineral, with the exception of one sample containing only illite. The results of analyses of the major chemical elements were consistent with the mineralogical composition. The samples contained low quantities (<130 ppm, with the exception of Ba) of potentially harmful elements; the CAR sample contained the highest quantities of Ba, V, Cr, Co, As, Sb, and Ni. Nevertheless, the concentrations of trace elements in the samples analysed showed lower levels of phytotoxicity than those permitted and were also lower than those found in peloids currently used in Spanish spas.
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