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Legacy base metal slags can generate toxic leachates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2018

Adijat T. Awoniran ,
Annelly Ketheson ,
Sandra Piazolo  and
Damian B. Gore
Adijat T. Awoniran*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia
Annelly Ketheson
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia
Sandra Piazolo
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Damian B. Gore
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia
*
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: adijat.awoniran@students.mq.edu.au
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Abstract

Slags sourced from a derelict zinc–lead–copper–silver–tungsten mine were examined for their bulk elemental composition and mineralogy. pH, oxidation–reduction potential, and the leachability of selected elements (sulphur, calcium, iron, copper, zinc, and lead) were assessed during a 130-day deionised water extraction conducted under oxic conditions. Slags were rich in silicon, iron, copper, zinc, and lead, hosted within minerals including quartz (SiO2), goethite [FeO(OH)], augite [Ca(Mg,AI,Fe)Si2O6], and lead (Pb0). Leachates from the slags increased in analyte concentration throughout the 130-day experiment, with iron, copper, zinc, and lead attaining >5 mg l−1 in some samples. These findings indicate that this pyrometallurgical waste should not be considered environmentally inert, as leachates emanating from them in the field might pose a significant risk to the environment.

Keywords

slagderelict minesleachabilitymineralogyelemental composition
Type
Technical Articles
Information
Powder Diffraction , Volume 32 , Supplement S2 , December 2017 , pp. S70 - S77
Copyright
Copyright © International Centre for Diffraction Data 2018 

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