Trace Metal Adsorption onto an Acid Mine Drainage Iron(III) Oxy Hydroxy Sulfate

Webster, Jenny G.; Swedlund, Peter J.; Webster, Kerry S.

doi:10.1021/es9704390

Cited by 310 publications

(170 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Sorption characteristics of different Fe(III) minerals that can precipitate in mine drainage environments are specific to each mineral. For example, goethite has a higher sorption capacity for some cations than ferrihydrite (Webster et al 1998). In addition, the adsorption characteristics of other components in the precipitates such as Al-oxyhydroxide minerals are unknown.…”

Section: Column Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adsorption of arsenic by iron rich precipitates from two coal mine drainage sites on the West Coast of New Zealand

Rait¹,

Trumm²,

Pope³

et al. 2010

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics

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Dissolved As can be strongly adsorbed to fine grained Fe(III) minerals such as hydroxides, oxyhydroxides and hydroxysulphates. Therefore precipitates that form during neutralisation or treatment of acid mine drainage have potential to be useful for treatment of As-contaminated water because acid mine drainage is often Fe rich. We tested the adsorption properties of Fe(III) rich precipitates from two West Coast coal mines with As-contaminated water from an historic gold ore processing site near Reefton. Precipitates were collected from distinctly different settings, an active acid mine drainage treatment plant at Stockton mine and the neutralisation/oxidation zone of acid mine drainage discharge at the abandoned Blackball Coal Mine. The two mine sites produce precipitates with different compositions and mineralogy. Arsenic adsorption onto precipitates from each site was determined in batch and column tests under laboratory conditions. Batch experiments indicate As adsorption occurs rapidly during the first 5 h and reaches equilibrium after 24 h. At equilibrium, and for a dosing ratio of 50 g of precipitate per litre of water, As concentrations decreased from 99 mg/L to 0.0080 mg/L with precipitates from Stockton and to 0.0017 mg/L with precipitates from Blackball. Arsenic adsorption capacity is up to 12 mg/g on precipitates from Stockton sludge and 74 mg/g on precipitates from Blackball. The Blackball precipitate adsorbs more As than precipitates from Stockton which is probably due to the higher Fe oxide content but pH and surface structure could also play a role. The column experiment confirmed that adsorption of As from a continuous waste stream onto these precipitates is possible, and that passive remediation using this waste product mixed with gravel to enhance permeability could be a viable approach at As-contaminated mine sites.

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Section: Column Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adsorption of arsenic by iron rich precipitates from two coal mine drainage sites on the West Coast of New Zealand

Rait¹,

Trumm²,

Pope³

et al. 2010

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics

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“…Adsorption edges for trace metals have been studied by taking sequential extractions. Changes in solution metal concentrations have been examined for trace metals, such as Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd (Webster et al, 1998). Another factor to investigate would be the seasonal differences.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Assessment of Floodplain Soil Metal Concentrations, Neosho River, Oklahoma

Mignogna¹,

Runyon²,

Nairn³

et al. 2012

JASMR

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Abstract. The lower Neosho River watershed has been negatively affected by intensive Pb and Zn mining that took place from the late 1800's through the mid-1900's. The nearby region is recognized with several of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Sites. The Tar Creek Superfund Site in Oklahoma is contaminated with ecotoxic metals such as lead, zinc, cadmium, and iron. In addition, millions of tonnes of mine tailings have been left on the surface near the neighboring towns of Picher and Cardin. Tar Creek is the main drainage through the Oklahoma portion of the mining area and a major source of contamination leading into the Neosho River and subsequently Grand Lake O' the Cherokees. Completion of the Pensacola Dam forming Grand Lake is a cause of backwater flooding in the Neosho River basin, which could lead to sediment and dissolved metals transport into the surrounding riparian areas. Due to the increased frequency of upstream flood events since construction of Grand Lake, a floodplain area on the Neosho River upstream of Tar and Elm Creeks was investigated for possible transport of mining-related metals using sediment core sampling and analysis techniques. Metals analysis showed total metals concentrations to have strong correlations with elevation in the floodplain area. Other relationships regarding metals concentrations and distance from the riverine area and particle size were inconclusive. Further study should be employed to characterize the quantities of metals on the remaining downstream stretch of the Neosho River.

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“…Iron (hydr)oxides precipitated in the presence of sulphate results in surface characteristics unique from pure ferrihydrite or more crystalline iron (hydr)oxides [106,107] which could alter sorption properties of trace metal contaminants as will be reviewed (Section 2.4).…”

Section: Changes In Mineral Form and The Release Of Trace Metal Contamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mineral surface composition and structure has been reported to influence trace metal sorption characteristics: In mining contaminated environments the formation of hydroxysulphate minerals at low pH < 4 results in surface characteristics that are unique from pure ferrihydrite minerals [35] that can alter sorption characteristics and influence sorption edge properties for copper and zinc. Webster et al [107] found that copper and zinc had a lower sorption edge for iron hydroxysulphate than for pure ferrihydrite. Factors proposed to enhance sorption were (i) formation of ternary complexes between the metal oxide, sorbed sulphate and metal cation and (ii) a microbially mediated precipitation.…”

Section: Sorption Of Trace Metals Onto Iron (Hydr)oxidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Risk of Metal Mining Contaminated River Bank Sediment at Redox-Transitional Zones

2014

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Diffuse metal pollution from mining impacted sediment is widely recognised as a potential source of contamination to river systems and may significantly hinder the achievement of European Union Water Framework Directive objectives. Redox-transitional zones that form along metal contaminated river banks as a result of flood and drought cycles could cause biogeochemical changes that alter the behaviour of polyvalent metals iron and manganese and anions such as sulphur. Trace metals are often partitioned with iron, manganese and sulphur minerals in mining-contaminated sediment, therefore the dissolution and precipitation of these minerals may influence the mobility of potentially toxic trace metals. Research indicates that freshly precipitated metal oxides and sulphides may be more "reactive" (more adsorbent and prone to dissolution when conditions change) than older crystalline forms. Fluctuations at the oxic-anoxic interface brought about through changes in the frequency and duration of flood and drought episodes may therefore influence the reactivity of secondary minerals that form in the sediment and the flux of dissolved trace metal release. UK climate change models predict longer dry periods for some regions, interspersed with higher magnitude flood events. If we are to fully comprehend the future environmental risk these climate change events pose to mining impacted river systems it is recommended that research efforts focus on identifying the primary controls on trace metal release at the oxic-anoxic interface for flood and drought cycles of different duration and frequency. This paper critically reviews the literature regarding biogeochemical processes that occur at different temporal scales during oxic, OPEN ACCESSMinerals 2014, 4 53 reducing and dry periods and focuses on how iron and sulphur based minerals may alter in form and reactivity and influence the mobility of trace metal contaminants. It is clear that changes in redox potential can alter the composition of secondary iron and sulphur minerals and influence the sorption of toxic trace metals and susceptibility to dissolution when further redox potential changes occur. However further work is needed to determine: (i) The extent to which different duration and frequency of wet and dry cycles influences the dissolution and precipitation of iron and sulphur minerals in mining contaminated river bank sediment; (ii) The temporal effects on mineral reactivity (sorption capacity and susceptibility to dissolution); (iii) The key biogeochemical processes that control the mobility of contaminant trace metals under these dynamic redox potential conditions.

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Trace Metal Adsorption onto an Acid Mine Drainage Iron(III) Oxy Hydroxy Sulfate

Cited by 310 publications

References 18 publications

Adsorption of arsenic by iron rich precipitates from two coal mine drainage sites on the West Coast of New Zealand

Adsorption of arsenic by iron rich precipitates from two coal mine drainage sites on the West Coast of New Zealand

Preliminary Assessment of Floodplain Soil Metal Concentrations, Neosho River, Oklahoma

Environmental Risk of Metal Mining Contaminated River Bank Sediment at Redox-Transitional Zones

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