Mercury (Hg) release from inoperative Hg mines in the California Coast Range has been documented, but little is known about the release and transport mechanisms. In this study, tailings from Hg mines ...located in different geologic settingsNew Idria (NI), a Si-carbonate Hg deposit, and Sulphur Bank (SB), a hot-spring Hg depositwere characterized, and particle release from these wastes was studied in column experiments to (1) investigate the mechanisms of Hg release from NI and SB mine wastes, (2) determine the speciation of particle-bound Hg released from the mine wastes, and (3) determine the effect of calcinations on Hg release processes. The physical and chemical properties of tailings and the colloids released from them were determined using chemical analyses, selective chemical extractions, XRD, SEM, TEM, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques. The total Hg concentration in tailings increased with decreasing particle size in NI and SB calcines (roasted ore), but reached a maximum at an intermediate particle size in the SB waste rock (unroasted ore). Hg in the tailings exists predominantly as low-solubility HgS (cinnabar and metacinnabar), with NI calcines having >50% HgS, SB calcines having >89% HgS, and SB waste rock having ∼100% HgS. Leaching experiments with a high-ionic-strength solution (0.1 M NaCl) resulted in a rapid but brief release of soluble and particulate Hg. Lowering the ionic strength of the leach solution (0.005 M NaCl) resulted in the release of colloidal Hg from two of the three mine wastes studied (NI calcines and SB waste rock). Colloid-associated Hg accounts for as much as 95% of the Hg released during episodic particle release. Colloids generated from the NI calcines are produced by a breakup and release mechanism and consist of hematite, jarosite/alunite, and Al−Si gel with particle sizes of 10−200 nm. ATEM and XAFS analyses indicate that the majority (∼78%) of the mercury is present in the form of HgS. SB calcines also produced HgS colloids. The colloids generated from the SB waste rock were heterogeneous and varied in composition according to the column influent composition. ATEM and XAFS results indicate that Hg is entirely in the HgS form. Data from this study identify colloidal HgS as the dominant transported form of Hg from these mine waste materials.
Historic placer gold mining in the Clear Creek tributary to the Sacramento River (Redding, CA) has highly impacted the hydrology and ecology of an important salmonid spawning stream. Restoration of ...the watershed utilized dredge tailings contaminated with mercury (Hg) introduced during gold mining, posing the possibility of persistent Hg release to the surrounding environment, including the San Francisco Bay Delta. Column experiments have been performed to evaluate the extent of Hg transport under chemical conditions potentially similar to those in river restoration projects utilizing dredge tailings such as at Clear Creek. Physicochemical perturbations, in the form of shifts in column influent ionic strength and the presence of a low molecular weight organic acid, were applied to coarse and fine sand placer tailings containing 109−194 and 69−90 ng of Hg/g, respectively. Significant concentrations of mercury, up to 16 μg/L, leach from these sediments in dissolved and particle-associated forms. Sequential chemical extractions (SCE) of these tailings indicate that elemental Hg initially introduced during gold mining has been transformed to readily soluble species, such as mercury oxides and chlorides (3−4%), intermediately extractable phases that likely include (in)organic sorption complexes and amalgams (75−87%), and fractions of highly insoluble forms such as mercury sulfides (6−20%; e.g., cinnabar and metacinnabar). Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopic analysis of colloids obtained from column effluent identified cinnabar particles as the dominant mobile mercury-bearing phase. The fraction of intermediately extractable Hg phases also likely includes mobile colloids to which Hg is adsorbed.
Bioreduction of As(V) and As-bearing iron oxides is considered to be one of the key processes leading to arsenic pollution in groundwaters in South and Southeast Asia. Recent laboratory studies with ...simple aqueous media showed that secondary Fe(II)-bearing phases (e.g., magnetite and green rust), which commonly precipitate during bioreduction of iron oxides, captured arsenic species. The aim of the present study was to follow arsenic speciation during the abiotic Fe(II)-induced transformation of As(III)- and As(V)-doped lepidocrocite to magnetite, and to evaluate the influence of arsenic on the transformation kinetics and pathway. We found green rust formation is an intermediate phase in the transformation. Both As(III) and As(V) slowed the transformation, with the effect being greater for As(III) than for As(V). Prior to the formation of magnetite, As(III) adsorbed on both lepidocrocite and green rust, whereas As(V) associated exclusively with green rust, When magnetite precipitated, As(III) formed surface complexes on magnetite nanoparticles and As(V) is thought to have been incorporated into the magnetite structure. These processes dramatically lowered the availability of As in the anoxic systems studied. These results provide insights into the behavior of arsenic during magnetite precipitation in reducing environments. We also found that As(V) removal from solution was higher than As(III) removal following magnetite formation, which suggests that conversion of As(III) to As(V) is preferred when using As-magnetite precipitation to treat As-contaminated groundwaters.
Pb(II) Distributions at Biofilm-Metal Oxide Interfaces Templeton, Alexis S.; Trainor, Thomas P.; Traina, Samuel J. ...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS,
10/2001, Volume:
98, Issue:
21
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The distribution of aqueous Pb(II) sorbed at the interface between Burkholderia cepacia biofilms and hematite (α-Fe2O
3) or corundum (α-Al2O
3) surfaces has been probed by using an application of the ...long-period x-ray standing wave technique. Attached bacteria and adsorbed organic matter may interfere with sorption processes on metal oxide surfaces by changing the characteristics of the electrical double layer at the solid-solution interface, blocking surface sites, or providing a variety of new sites for metal binding. In this work, Pb Lαfluorescence yield profiles for samples equilibrated with 10-7to 10-3.8M Pb(II) were measured and modeled to determine quantitatively the partitioning of Pb(II) at the biofilm-metal oxide interface. Our data show that the reactive sites on the metal oxide surfaces were not passivated by the formation of a monolayer biofilm. Instead, high-energy surface sites on the metal oxides form the dominant sink for Pb(II) at submicromolar concentrations, following the trend α-Fe2O
3(0001) > α-$Al_2O_3 \,(1{\bar 1}02)$> α-Al2O
3(0001), despite the greater site density within the overlying biofilms. At Pb > 10-6M, significant Pb uptake by the biofilms was observed.
Zinc isotopes have been studied along two smelter-impacted soil profiles sampled near one of the largest Pb and Zn processing plants in Europe located in northern France, about 50
km south of Lille. ...Mean δ
66Zn values along these two soil profiles range from +0.22
±
0.17‰ (2
σ) to +0.34
±
0.17‰ (2
σ) at the lowest horizons and from +0.38
±
0.45‰ (2
σ) to +0.76
±
0.14‰ (2
σ) near the surface. The δ
66Zn values in the lowest horizons of the soils are interpreted as being representative of the local geochemical background (mean value +0.31
±
0.38‰), whereas heavier δ
66Zn values near the surface of the two soils are related to anthropogenic Zn. This anthropogenic Zn occurs in the form of franklinite (ZnFe
2O
4)-bearing slag grains originating from processing wastes at the smelter site and exhibiting δ
66Zn values of +0.81
±
0.20‰ (2
σ). The presence of franklinite is indicated by EXAFS analysis of the topsoil samples from both soil profiles as well as by micro-XANES analysis of the surface horizon of a third smelter-impacted soil from a distant site. These results indicate that naturally occurring Zn and smelter-derived Zn exhibit significantly different δ
66Zn values, which suggests that zinc isotopes can be used to distinguish between geogenic and anthropogenic sources of Zn in smelter-impacted soils. In addition to a possible influence of additional past sources of light Zn (likely Zn-sulfides and Zn-sulfates directly emitted by the smelter), the light δ
66Zn values in the surface horizons compared to smelter-derived slag materials are interpreted as resulting mainly from fractionation processes associated with biotic and/or abiotic pedological processes (Zn-bearing mineral precipitation, Zn complexation by organic matter, and plant uptake of Zn). This conclusion emphasizes the need for additional Zn isotopic studies before being able to use Zn isotopes to trace sources and pathways of this element in surface environments.
Cyanobacteria have affected major geochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) on Earth for billions of years. In particular, they have played a major role in the formation of calcium carbonates ...(i.e., calcification), which has been considered to be an extracellular process. We identified a cyanobacterium in modern microbialites in Lake Alchichica (Mexico) that forms intracellular amorphous calcium-magnesium-strontium-barium carbonate inclusions about 270 nanometers in average diameter, revealing an unexplored pathway for calcification. Phylogenetic analyses place this cyanobacterium within the deeply divergent order Gloeobacterales. The chemical composition and structure of the intracellular precipitates suggest some level of cellular control on the biomineralization process. This discovery expands the diversity of organisms capable of forming amorphous calcium carbonates.
Hydraulic fracturing of unconventional oil/gas shales has changed the energy landscape of the U.S. Recovery of hydrocarbons from tight, hydraulically fractured shales is a highly inefficient process, ...with estimated recoveries of <25% for natural gas and <5% for oil. This review focuses on the complex chemical interactions of additives in hydraulic fracturing fluid (HFF) with minerals and organic matter in oil/gas shales. These interactions are intended to increase hydrocarbon recovery by increasing porosities and permeabilities of tight shales. However, fluid–shale interactions result in the dissolution of shale minerals and the release and transport of chemical components. They also result in mineral precipitation in the shale matrix, which can reduce permeability, porosity, and hydrocarbon recovery. Competition between mineral dissolution and mineral precipitation processes influences the amounts of oil and gas recovered. We review the temporal/spatial origins and distribution of unconventional oil/gas shales from mudstones and shales, followed by discussion of their global and U.S. distributions and compositional differences from different U.S. sedimentary basins. We discuss the major types of chemical additives in HFF with their intended purposes, including drilling muds. Fracture distribution, porosity, permeability, and the identity and molecular-level speciation of minerals and organic matter in oil/gas shales throughout the hydraulic fracturing process are discussed. Also discussed are analysis methods used in characterizing oil/gas shales before and after hydraulic fracturing, including permeametry and porosimetry measurements, X-ray diffraction/Rietveld refinement, X-ray computed tomography, scanning/transmission electron microscopy, and laboratory- and synchrotron-based imaging/spectroscopic methods. Reactive transport and spatial scaling are discussed in some detail in order to relate fundamental molecular-scale processes to fluid transport. Our review concludes with a discussion of potential environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing and important knowledge gaps that must be bridged to achieve improved mechanistic understanding of fluid transport in oil/gas shales.
Interfacial reactions drive all elemental cycling on Earth and play pivotal roles in human activities such as agriculture, water purification, energy production and storage, environmental contaminant ...remediation, and nuclear waste repository management. The onset of the 21st century marked the beginning of a more detailed understanding of mineral aqueous interfaces enabled by advances in techniques that use tunable high-flux focused ultrafast laser and X-ray sources to provide near-atomic measurement resolution, as well as by nanofabrication approaches that enable transmission electron microscopy in a liquid cell. This leap into atomic- and nanometer-scale measurements has uncovered scale-dependent phenomena whose reaction thermodynamics, kinetics, and pathways deviate from previous observations made on larger systems. A second key advance is new experimental evidence for what scientists hypothesized but could not test previously, namely, interfacial chemical reactions are frequently driven by “anomalies” or “non-idealities” such as defects, nanoconfinement, and other nontypical chemical structures. Third, progress in computational chemistry has yielded new insights that allow a move beyond simple schematics, leading to a molecular model of these complex interfaces. In combination with surface-sensitive measurements, we have gained knowledge of the interfacial structure and dynamics, including the underlying solid surface and the immediately adjacent water and aqueous ions, enabling a better definition of what constitutes the oxide– and silicate–water interfaces. This critical review discusses how science progresses from understanding ideal solid–water interfaces to more realistic systems, focusing on accomplishments in the last 20 years and identifying challenges and future opportunities for the community to address. We anticipate that the next 20 years will focus on understanding and predicting dynamic transient and reactive structures over greater spatial and temporal ranges as well as systems of greater structural and chemical complexity. Closer collaborations of theoretical and experimental experts across disciplines will continue to be critical to achieving this great aspiration.
Groundwater contamination by As from natural and anthropogenic sources is a worldwide concern. Redox heterogeneities over space and time are common and can influence the molecular-level speciation of ...As, and thus, As release/retention but are largely unexplored. Here, we present results from a dual-domain column experiment, with natural organic-rich, fine-grained, and sulfidic sediments embedded as lenses (referred to as “reducing lenses”) within natural aquifer sand. We show that redox interfaces in sulfur-rich, alkaline aquifers may release concerning levels of As, even when sediment As concentration is low (<2 mg/kg), due to the formation of mobile thioarsenates at aqueous sulfide/Fe molar ratios <1. In our experiments, this behavior occurred in the aquifer sand between reducing lenses and was attributed to the spreading of sulfidic conditions and subsequent Fe reductive dissolution. In contrast, inside reducing lenses (and some locations in the aquifer) the aqueous sulfide/Fe molar ratios exceeded 1 and aqueous sulfide/As molar ratios exceeded 100, which partitioned As(III)–S to the solid phase (associated with organics or as realgar (As4S4)). These results highlight the importance of thioarsenates in natural sediments and indicate that redox interfaces and sediment heterogeneities could locally degrade groundwater quality, even in aquifers with unconcerning solid-phase As concentrations.
Sulfur dimer (S2 2–) terminated pyrite FeS2{100} surfaces with a low energy electron diffraction (LEED) pattern of 2 × 1 symmetry are reported. The 2 × 1 symmetry correlates with the orientation of ...the anisotropic surface structure and external symmetry of macroscopic striations on the pyrite cube face. The basic condition to form these surfaces is a mild 200 V Ne+ sputter-cleaning procedure followed by a 570 K anneal of the sample in a 10–7 Torr S2(g) atmosphere. Controlled amounts of surface sulfur monomers (S2–) can be introduced by mild sputtering of the sulfur dimer terminated surfaces. At low monomer concentrations the surface displays the same characteristic 1 × 1 LEED pattern as that for fracture-generated surfaces. With increasing sulfur depletion, a (1/√2 × 1/√2)R45° LEED pattern emerges, and soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show a sulfur dimer deficient near-surface region and a new high binding energy sulfur spectral component suggesting the presence of local coordination environments where sulfur monomers are coordinated by four Fe ions compared to three as in the pyrite structure. The plausible formation of a defective FeS-like surface phase where monomeric sulfurs are coordinated by four Fe ions, and bond counting energetics favoring surface sulfur monomer recombination around Fe vacancy sites on pyrite FeS2{100}, both imply surface sulfur dimer vacancy sites with unique adsorption and reactivity properties. Taken together, our results suggest a very rich and dynamic defect structural landscape at pyrite FeS2{100} surfaces with direct implications for its surface chemical activity.
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