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Effect of Cu(II) on the stability of oxyanion-substituted schwertmannite

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Abstract

Schwertmannite, a Fe(III)-oxyhydroxysulfate mineral formed in acidic (pH 3~4), iron- and sulfate-rich acid mine drainage (AMD) environments, tends to undergo phase transformations with changes in pH and redox condition, which may depend on the presence of various trace anions and cations. In the present study, the effects of Cu(II) on the stability of arsenate-, chromate-, and molybdate-substituted schwertmannite were investigated. The release of Fe(III) and sulfate from schwertmannite seems to be accelerated in the presence of Cu(II) at pH ~ 3, while Cu(II) retarded the dissolution of schwertmannite at pH ~ 5. XRD and SEM results showed that pure schwertmannite and chromate-substituted schwertmannite underwent transformation to goethite over a 2-month period, the presence of Cu(II) enhanced the stability of the mineral’s structure at both pH 3 and 5. However, the structures of arsenate- and molybdate-substituted schwertmannites showed no significant changes in the presence or absence of Cu(II) at both pH 3 and 5. During the phase transformation process, the amount of released oxyanions followed the sequence of chromate > molybdate > arsenate. Moreover, the release of arsenate and chromate from schwertmannite was retarded in the presence of Cu(II) at pH 5, whereas the release of molybdate was promoted. These results have important environmental implications for the stability of schwertmannite and its potential to immobilize contaminant trace elements under AMD conditions.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.41330639 and 41720104004), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0801000), the National Key Technology Support Program of China (No. 2015BAD05B05), the Tip-top Scientific and Technical Innovative Youth Talents of Guangdong Special Support Program (No. 2015TQ01Z233), and the Guangdong Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program (No. 2014ZT05N200).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Junfei Li, Yingying Xie, Guining Lu, Han Ye, Xiaoyun Yi, Zhang Lin & Zhi Dang

  2. The Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Guining Lu, Xiaoyun Yi, Zhang Lin & Zhi Dang

  3. Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Environmental Risk Prevention and Emergency Disposal, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Guining Lu

  4. School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    John R. Reinfelder

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  1. Junfei Li
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  2. Yingying Xie
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  3. Guining Lu
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  4. Han Ye
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  7. Zhang Lin
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  8. Zhi Dang
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Correspondence to Guining Lu or Zhi Dang.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Li, J., Xie, Y., Lu, G. et al. Effect of Cu(II) on the stability of oxyanion-substituted schwertmannite. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 15492–15506 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1773-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1773-0

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