Scavenging of As from Acid Mine Drainage by Schwertmannite and Ferrihydrite: A Comparison with Synthetic Analogues

Abstract

Ochreous precipitates containing 5.5−69.8 g/kg As were isolated from mine drainage in Finland and were composed of schwertmannite, ferrihydrite, and goethite. Schwertmannite formation was favored at pH 3−4, but its structure was degraded at high As levels. A series of coprecipitates were therefore prepared from mixed iron arsenate/sulfate solutions to define the limits of schwertmannite stability. Schwertmannite was replaced as the dominant phase by a poorly crystalline iron^III hydroxy arsenate (FeOHAs) when As/Fe mole ratios exceeded 0.15. The FeOHAs gave an X-ray diffraction pattern similar to that obtained from an “amorphous” iron^III arsenate (As/Fe = 1.0) with broad peaks at 0.30 and 0.16 nm. The FeOHAs possessed a magnetic hyperfine field of 41.9 T at 4.2 K that was intermediate to those of schwertmannite (46.1 T) and the iron^III arsenate (24.8 T). These data indicate a strong disruptive effect of arsenate on magnetic ordering and structure development in schwertmannite. Equilibration of 0.01 M arsenate solutions with freshly prepared schwertmannite and 2-line ferrihydrite at pH 3.0 for up to 60 d gave sorbed As contents of 175 and 210 g/kg, respectively. Arsenate sorption degraded the host schwertmannite and ferrihydrite, perhaps due to the formation of an FeOHAs surface phase.