Secondary mineralogy and microtextures of weathered sulfides and manganoan carbonates in mine waste-rock dumps, with implications for heavy-metal fixation

Jeong, Gi Young; Lee, Byoung Yoon

doi:10.2138/am-2003-11-1236

Cited by 33 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…No primary sulfide of Pb or secondary Pb-bearing mineral such as anglesite or plumbojarosite that could be sources of Pb was observed, in contrast to previous studies (e.g., Jeong & Lee 2003). In addition, galena was not described in the primary paragenesis as a major sulfide (Clark 1917).…”

Section: Mineralogical Reaction Pathwaycontrasting

confidence: 61%

The Weathering of a Sulfide Orebody: Speciation and Fate of Some Potential Contaminants

Courtin-Nomade¹,

Grosbois²,

Marcus³

et al. 2009

The Canadian Mineralogist

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Various potentially toxic trace elements such as As, Cu, Pb and Zn have been remobilized by the weathering of a sulfide orebody that was only partially mined at Leona Heights, California. As a result, this body has both natural and anthropogenically modified weathering profiles only 500 m apart. The orebody is located in a heavily urbanized area in suburban Oakland, and directly affects water quality in at least one stream by producing acidic conditions and relatively high concentrations of dissolved elements (e.g., ~500 mg/L Cu, ~3700 mg/L Zn). Micrometric-scale mineralogical investigations were performed on the authigenic metal-bearing phases (less than 10 mm in size) using electron-probe micro-analysis (EPMA), micro-Raman, micro X-ray absorption spectroscopy (mXAS), scanning X-ray diffraction (mSXRD) and scanning X-ray fluorescence (mSXRF) mapping techniques. Those measurements were coupled with classical mineralogical laboratory techniques, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Authigenic metal-bearing phases identified are mainly sulfates (jarosite, epsomite, schwertmannite), Fe (oxy-)hydroxides (goethite, hematite and poorly crystalline Fe products) and poorly crystalline Mn (hydr-)oxides. Sulfates and Fe (oxy-)hydroxides are the two main secondary products at both sites, whereas Mn (hydr-) oxides were only observed in the samples from the non-mining site. In these samples, the various trace elements show different affinities for Fe or Mn compounds. Lead is preferentially associated with Mn (hydr-)oxides and As with Fe (oxy-)hydroxides or sulfates. Copper association with Mn and Fe phases is questionable, and the results obtained rather indicate that Cu is present as individual Cu-rich grains (Cu hydroxides). Some ochreous precipitates were found at both sites and correspond to a mixture of schwertmannite, goethite and jarosite containing some potentially toxic trace elements such as Cu, Pb and Zn. According to the trace element distribution and relative abundance of the unweathered sulfides, this orebody still represents a significant reservoir of potential contaminants for the watershed, especially in the non-mining site, as a much greater proportion of sulfides is left to react and because of the lower porosity in this site.

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Section: Mineralogical Reaction Pathwaycontrasting

confidence: 61%

The Weathering of a Sulfide Orebody: Speciation and Fate of Some Potential Contaminants

Courtin-Nomade¹,

Grosbois²,

Marcus³

et al. 2009

The Canadian Mineralogist

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“…In this case the sulphides were partially to almost completely replaced by Fe-oxyhydroxides in a pseudomorphic pattern. The Fe-oxyhydroxides also filled intergranular spaces creating a boxwork texture, similar to that described by Jeong and Lee (2003). Unaltered chalcopyrite and sphalerite were rare; all the analysed grains were almost completely replaced by Fe-oxyhydroxides with complex textural features growing around an unaltered submillimetric core.…”

Section: Mineralogy Of the Dumped Materialssupporting

confidence: 70%

Mineralogical and geochemical characterisation of open-air tailing and waste-rock dumps from the Libiola Fe-Cu sulphide mine (Eastern Liguria, Italy)

et al. 2007

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Active acid mine drainage (AMD) processes at the Libiola Fe-Cu sulphides mine are mainly triggered by water-rock interaction occurring within open-air tailing and waste-rock dumps. These processes are mainly controlled by exposure to weathering agents, the grain size of the dumped materials, and by the quantity of sulphides, the sulphide types, and their mode of occurrence. Due to these factors, several paragenetic stages of evolution have been recognised at different depths at different sites and within the same site. The dump samples were investigated with mineralogical (reflected-and transmitted-light optical microscopy, XRPD, and SEM-EDS) and geochemical (ICP-AES, Leco) techniques. The AMD evaluation of the tailing and waste-rock samples was performed by calculating the Maximum Potential Acidity, the Acid Neutralising Capacity, (and the Net Acid Producing Potential. The results allowed us to demonstrate that the open-air tailings had already superseded their AMD apex and are now practically inert material composed mainly of stable goethite ± lepidocrocite ± hematite assemblages. On the contrary, the sulphide-rich waste rocks still have a strong potential to produce long term AMD, causing the acidification of circulating waters and the release of several hazardous elements.

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“…Zn-ferrihydrite is the second most abundant Zn species together with Zn-phyllosilicate in the 0 -10 cm soil layer, making up the remaining 40% of the total Zn. Zn-ferrihydrite was shown to result from the weathering of ZnS and FeS 2 grains in oxidizing environment (Hesterberg et al, 1997;O'Day et al, 1998;Hochella et al, 1999;Webb et al, 2000;Bostick et al, 2001;Carroll et al, 2002;Jeong et al, 2003), and represents the main neoformed Zn species in both the overlying sediment (Isaure et al, 2002) and the upper soil. Precipitation of Zn-ferrihydrite at the surface of (Fe,Zn)S coarse grains (ZnS contains up to 20% substitutional Fe, Thiry et al, 2002) was revealed by micro-PIXE and micro-EX-AFS (Isaure et al, 2002), and the formation of this finely divided surface precipitate on incompletely oxidized (Fe,Zn)S remnant grains accounts for the detection of this secondary species in the Ͻ50 m coarse fraction.…”

Section: Solid-state Speciation and Origin Of Zn In The Contaminated mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many uptake mechanisms, which had been described in the laboratory over the past decades, have now been identified in nature, including complexation with soil organic matter, adsorption on mineral surfaces, incorporation in mineral structures through coprecipitation or lattice diffusion, and metal precipitation (Cotter-Howells et al, 1994;Manceau et al, 1996Manceau et al, , 2000aManceau et al, , 2002bManceau et al, , 2003Manceau et al, , 2004Hesterberg et al, 1997;O'Day et al, 1998O'Day et al, , 2000Hochella et al, 1999;Morin et al, 1999;Ostengren et al, 1999;Hansel et al, 2001;Caroll et al, 2002;Isaure et al, 2002;Kneebone et al, 2002;Roberts et al, 2002;Scheinost et al, 2002;Strawn et al, 2002;Jeong and Lee, 2003;Juillot et al, 2003;Kirpichtchikova et al, 2003;Paktunc et al, 2004;Sarret et al, 2004). While EXAFS spectroscopy has provided one of the cornerstones of heavy metal speciation science, most studies have been restricted to average structural properties because of the millimeter to centimeter dimension of the X-ray beam.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zinc mobility and speciation in soil covered by contaminated dredged sediment using micrometer-scale and bulk-averaging X-ray fluorescence, absorption and diffraction techniques

Isaure

Manceau

Geoffroy

et al. 2005

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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The mobility and solid-state speciation of zinc in a pseudogley soil (pH ϭ 8.2-8.3) before and after contamination by land-disposition of a dredged sediment ([Zn] ϭ 6600 mg kg Ϫ1 ) affected by smelter operations were studied in a 50 m 2 pilot-scale test site and the laboratory using state-of-the-art synchrotronbased techniques. Sediment disposition on land caused the migration of micrometer-sized, smelter-related, sphalerite (ZnS) and franklinite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ) grains and dissolved Zn from the sediment downwards to a soil depth of 20 cm over a period of 18 months. Gravitational movement of fine-grained metal contaminants probably occurred continuously, while peaks of Zn leaching were observed in the summer when the oxidative dissolution of ZnS was favored by non-flooding conditions. The Zn concentration in the Ͻ50 m soil fraction increased from ϳ61 ppm to ϳ94 ppm in the first 12 months at 0 -10 cm depth, and to ϳ269 ppm in the first 15 months following the sediment deposition. Higher Zn concentrations and enrichments were observed in the fine (Ͻ2 m) and very fine (Ͻ0.2 m) fractions after 15 months (480 mg kg Ϫ1 and 1000 mg kg Ϫ1 , respectively), compared to 200 mg kg Ϫ1 in the Ͻ2 m fraction of the initial soil. In total, 1.2% of the Zn initially present in the sediment was released to the environment after 15 months, representing an integrated quantity of ϳ4 kg Zn over an area of 50 m 2 . Microfocused X-ray fluorescence (XRF), diffraction (XRD) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy techniques were used to image chemical associations of Zn with Fe and Mn, and to identify mineral and Zn species in selected points-of-interest in the uncontaminated and contaminated soil. Bulk average powder EXAFS spectroscopy was used to quantify the proportion of each Zn species in the soil. In the uncontaminated soil, Zn is largely speciated as Zn-containing phyllosilicate, and to a minor extent as zincochromite (ZnCr 2 O 4 ), IV Zn-sorbed turbostratic birnessite (␦-MnO 2 ), and Zn-substituted goethite. In the upper 0 -10 cm of the contaminated soil, ϳ60 Ϯ 10% of total Zn is present as ZnS inherited from the overlying sediment. Poorly-crystalline Zn-sorbed Fe (oxyhydr)oxides and zinciferous phyllosilicate amount to ϳ20 -30 Ϯ 10% each and, therefore, make up most of the remaining Zn. Smaller amounts of franklinite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ), Zn-birnessite and Zn-goethite were also detected. Further solubilization of the Zn inventory in the sediment, and also remobilization of Zn from the poorly-crystalline neoformed Fe (oxyhydr)oxide precipitates, are expected over time. This study shows that land deposition of contaminated dredged sediments is a source of Zn for the covered soil and, consequently, presents environmental hazards. Remediation technologies should be devised to either sequester Zn into sparingly soluble crystalline phases, or remove Zn by collecting leachates beneath the sediment.

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Secondary mineralogy and microtextures of weathered sulfides and manganoan carbonates in mine waste-rock dumps, with implications for heavy-metal fixation

Cited by 33 publications

References 7 publications

The Weathering of a Sulfide Orebody: Speciation and Fate of Some Potential Contaminants

The Weathering of a Sulfide Orebody: Speciation and Fate of Some Potential Contaminants

Mineralogical and geochemical characterisation of open-air tailing and waste-rock dumps from the Libiola Fe-Cu sulphide mine (Eastern Liguria, Italy)

Zinc mobility and speciation in soil covered by contaminated dredged sediment using micrometer-scale and bulk-averaging X-ray fluorescence, absorption and diffraction techniques

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