Wastes accumulated at Piekary Śląskie, Poland, are the result of 150 years
of continuous working of the Orzeł Biały smelting plant. Slags are composed
of: oxides (spinel, hematite, zincite); silicates and aluminosilicates
(olivine, monticellite–kirschteinite, titanite, merwinite, pyroxene,
melilite, feldspars: plagioclases and plumbean K-feldspar, nepheline,
kalsilite, leucite); sulfides (pyrrhotite, rudashevskyite, galena), metallic
phases (pure iron and iron–arsenic mixture) and secondary phases (gypsum,
rapidcreekite, apatite). Interstices between the crystalline phases are
filled by glass, concentrating toxic and potentially harmful elements, e.g.
up to 53.22 wt.% PbO. The sequence of crystallization of primary phases
depended on the local variability of oxygen fugacity and degree of
calcination, while the texture type resulted from the cooling time and
partial pressure of volatiles. Suggested crystallization temperatures are in
the range of 1200–1500°C. Bulk chemical analyses show that the slags are
composed mainly of SiO2,
Al2O3,Fe2O3, MgO and CaO.
Among the potentially harmful elements, Zn is the most common, reaching up
to 5.93 wt.%, Pb is present in concentrations up to 3.9 wt.% and As in
weathered samples exceeds 1 wt.%. Leaching tests of these elements confirms
As mobility as Zn and Pb are preferably leached from fresh slags, while As
is present in greater amounts in leachate from weathered slag samples. The
documented amounts of As, Zn, Pb and their mobility in slags produce an
environmental risk, as this material is currently used widely for commercial
purposes.