Geological and anthropogenic factors influencing mercury speciation in mine wastes: an EXAFS spectroscopy study

Mercury (Hg) speciation influences mobility, reactivity, and bioavailability in areas impacted by Hg mining. Physical, geological, and human influences also affect Hg behavior and fate. The degree of influence of these variables on Hg speciation was studied using extended X-ray absorption fine struc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied geochemistry Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 379 - 393
Main Authors: Kim, Christopher S., Rytuba, James J., Brown, Gordon E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Elsevier 01.03.2004
Subjects:
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Exact sciences and technology
Pollution, environment geology
United States
California
Nevada
USA, Nevada
USA, California
X-ray data
mobility
mining waste
mercury
silica
fine-grained materials
cinnabar
pollution
North America
human activity
spectroscopy
particles
sulfides
chlorides
absorption
concentration
mining
impacts
halides
carbonates
speciation
mines
phase transformation
metacinnabar
complexes
ISSN:0883-2927
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Mercury (Hg) speciation influences mobility, reactivity, and bioavailability in areas impacted by Hg mining. Physical, geological, and human influences also affect Hg behavior and fate. The degree of influence of these variables on Hg speciation was studied using extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy on Hg-bearing wastes from mine-impacted regions of California and Nevada. Samples from hot spring Hg deposits contained soluble Hg-chloride phases, which were mainly absent in samples from silica-carbonate Hg deposits. Both deposits, however, had Hg-sulfides dominating as cinnabar and metacinnabar. Calcining appears to promote transformation of cinnabar to metacinnabar, through heating. Total Hg levels in calcines is strongly correlated with particle size, suggesting that insoluble but soft Hg-sulfides weather (mechanically) preferentially and eventually become enriched in the fine-grained fraction, while soluble Hg phases leach out more readily as particle size decreases. Mine waste Hg speciation resembles that in sediments downstream from the tailing piles; i.e., transport does not alter speciation much.
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ISSN:0883-2927
DOI:10.1016/S0883-2927(03)00147-1