Abstract
Pyrite oxidation produces extremely acidic drainages (as low as pH 2) enriched with Fe, Mn, Al, SO4, and often heavy metals such as Pb, Hg, Cd, etc. (Table 10.1). Pyrite oxidation takes place when the mineral is exposed to air and water. The process is complex because it involves chemical, biological, and electrochemical reactions, and varies with environmental conditions. Factors such as pH, pO2, specific surface and morphology of pyrite, presence or absence of bacteria and/or clay minerals, as well as hydrological factors determine the rate of oxidation. There is, therefore, no single rate law to describe kinetics of pyrite oxidation for all cases (Evangelou 1995b; Evangelou and Zhang 1995).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ainsworth CC, Blanchar RW, King EJ (1982) Morphology of pyrite from Pennsylvanian-age shales in Missouri. Soil Sci 134: 244–251
Arora HS, Dixon JB, Hossner LR (1978) Pyrite morphology in lignitic coal and associated strata of east Texas. Soil Sci 125: 151–159
Baker BK (1983) The evaluation of unique acid mine drainage abatement techniques, Master’s Thesis, West Virginia University, Morgantown
Brodie GA, Hammer DA, Tomljanovich DA (1988) Constructed wetlands for acid drainage control in the Tennessee Valley. In: Mine drainage and surface mine reclamation, vol 1: mine water and mine waste. US Bureau of Mines Information Circular IC 9 (183), Pittsburgh, p 325
Brodie GA, Britt CR, Tomaszewski TM, Taylor HN (1991) Use of the passive anoxic limestone drains to enhance performance of acid drainage treatment wetlands. In: Oaks W, Bowden (eds) Proceedings reclamation 2000: technologies for success, Durango, Colorada, pp 211–222
Brown AD, Jurinak JJ (1989) Mechanism of pyrite oxidation in aqueous mixtures. J Environ Qual 18: 545–550
Carpenter PL (1977) Microbiology. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 218–220
Caruccio FT, Geidel G (1980) The assessment of a stratum’s capacity to produce acidic drainage. Proc Natl Symp on Surface mine hydrology, sedimentology and reclamation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, pp 437–444
Caruccio FT, Geidel G (1985) The prediction of acid mine drainage from coal strip mines. Proc Reclam Aband Acid Spoils Missouri, Dept of Nat Resour Land Reclam Commission, Jefferson City, Missouri, 21 pp
Caruccio FT, Ferm J C, Home J, Geidel G, Baganz B (1977) Paleoenvironment of coal and its relation to drainage quality. EPA-600/7-77-067, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Dave NK, Vivyurka AJ (1994) Water cover on acid generating uranium tailings — laboratory and field studies. In: Proc Int Land reclamation and mine drainage Conf and 3rd Int Conf on the Abatement of acidic drainage, Pittsburgh, 24–29 April, vol 1, p 297
Dugan PR (1987) Prevention of formation of acid drainage from high-sulfur coal refuse by inhibition of iron- and sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms. II. Inhibition in “Run of Mine” refuse under simulated field conditions. Biotech Bioeng 29: 49–54
Erickson PM, Ladwig KJ (1985) Control of acid formation by inhibition of bacteria and by coating pyritic surfaces. Final report to the West Virginia Department of Energy Division of Reclamation Charleston, West Virginia
Evangelou VP (1995a) Potential microencapsulation of pyrite by artificial inducement of FeP04 coatings. J Environ Qual 24: 535–542
Evangelou VP (1995b) Pyrite oxidation and its control. CRC Press, Boca Raton
Evangelou VP (1996a) Schematic of H2O2 induced, oxidation proof iron-oxide/silica surface coating. US Patent no 5,494, 703
Evangelou VP (1996b) Pyrite surface silica coating for inhibiting oxidation. US Patent no 5,494,703
Evangelou VP, Huang X (1994a) Infrared spectroscopic evidence of an iron (II)-carbonate complex on the surface of pyrite. Spectrochim Acta 50 A: 1333–1340
Evangelou VP, Huang H (1994b) Peroxide induced oxidation proof phosphate surface coating on iron sulfides. US Patent no 528–522
Evangelou VP, Phillips RE (1984) Ionic composition of pyritic coal spoil leachate interactions and effect on saturated hydraulic conductivity. Reclam Reveg Res 3: 65–76
Evangelou VP, Zhang YL (1995) A review: pyrite oxidation mechanisms and acid mine drainage prevention. Critical reviews. Environmental science and technology, vol 25/2. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 141–199
Evangelou VP, Phillips RE, Shepard JS (1982) Salt generation pyritic coal spoils and its effect on saturated hydraulic conductivity. Soil Sci Am J 46: 456–460
Evangelou VP, Sainju UM, Huang X (1992) Evaluation and quantification of armoring mechanisms of calcite, dolomite and rock phosphate by manganese. In: Younos T, Diplas P, Mostaghimi S (eds) Land reclamation: advances in research and technology. American Society of Ag Engineers, Nashville, pp 304–316
Flynn JP (1969) Treatment of earth surface and subsurface for prevention of acidic drainage from the soil. US Patent 3,443,882,13 May
Fyson A, Kalin M, Adrian LW (1994) Arsenic and nickel removal by wetland sediments. In: Proc Int Land reclamation and mine drainage Conf and the 3rd Int Conf on the Abatement of acidic drainage, Pittsburgh, vol 1, p 109
Goldhaber MB (1983) Experimental study of metastable sulfur oxyanion formation during pyrite oxidation at pH 6–9 and 30°C. Am J Sci 283: 913–217
Hammack RW, Edenborn HM (1991) The removal of nickel from mine waters using bacteria sulfate reduction. In: Proc 1991 Natl Meet American Society of Surface Mining and Reclamation, West Virginia, vol 1, p 97
Hammack RW, Watzlaf GR (1990) The effect of oxygen on pyrite oxidation. In: Proc Mining and reclamation Conf, Charleston, West Virginia, 23–26 April 1990, pp 257–264
Hammer DA (ed) (1989) Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment: municipal, industrial and agricultural. Lewis, Chelsea, Michigan
Harter RD, Ahlrichs JL (1967) Determination of clay surface acidity by infrared spectroscopy. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 31: 30–33
Hiltunen P, Vuorinen A, Rehtijarvi P, Tuovinen OH (1981) Release of iron and scanning electron microscopic observations. Hydrometallurgy 7: 147–157
Hoffmann MR, Faust BC, Panda FA, Koo HH, Tsuchiya HM (1981) Kinetics of the removal of iron pyrite from coal by microbial catalysis. Appl Environ Microbial 42: 259–271
Hood TA (1991) The kinetics of pyrite oxidation in marine systems. PhD Diss, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
Howarth RW, Teal JM (1979) Sulfur reduction in New England salt marsh. Limnol Oceanogr 24: 999–1013
Huang X, Evangelou VP (1992) Abatement of acid mine drainage by encapsulation of acid producing geologic materials. US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, 60 pp
Huang X, Evangelou VP (1994) Kinetics of pyrite oxidation and surface chemistry influences. In: Alpers CN, Blowes DW (eds) The environmental geochemistry of sulfide oxidation. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, pp 562–573
Jackson ML, Stewart BR, Daniels WL (1993) Influence of fly ash, topsoil, lime and rock-P on acid mine drainage from coal refuse. In: Proc 1993 Natl Meet American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation, Spokane, Washington, 16 –19 May 1993, pp 266–276
Kleinmann RLP (1981) The US Bureau of Mines acid mine drainage research program. In: Proc 2nd West Virginia Surface Mine Drainage Task Force Symp, Clarksburg, West Virginia
Kleinmann RLP, Crerar DA (1979) Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and the formation of acidity in simulated coal mine environments. Geomicrobiol J 1: 373–388
Ladwig KJ, Erickson PM, Kleinmann RLP (1985) Alkaline injection: an overview of recent work. In: Control of acid mine drainage. Bureau of Mines IC 9027 USDA, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, pp 35–40
Lekhakul S (1981) The effect of lime on the chemical composition of surface mined coal spoils, and the leachate from spoil. PhD Diss, Agronomy Dept, Univ of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, p 134
Luther GW III (1987) Pyrite oxidation and reduction: molecular orbital theory consideration. Geochem Cosmochem Acta 51: 3193–3199
Luther GW III (1990) The frontier-molecular-orbital theory approach in geotechnical processes. In: Stumm W (ed) Aquatic chemical kinetics. Wiley, New York, pp 173–198
Luther III GW, Kostka JE, Church TM, Sulzberger B, Stumm W (1992) Seasonal iron cycling in the salt-marsh sedimentary environment: the importance of ligand complexes with Fe (II) and Fe (III) in the dissolution of Fe (III) minerals and pyrite, respectively. Mar Chem 40:81–103
Millero FJ, Izaguirre M (1989) Effect of ionic strength and ionic interactions on the oxidation of Fe2+. J Solut Chem 18: 585–599
Mortland MM (1968) Protonation of compounds on clay mineral surfaces. 9th Int Congr Soil Sci I: 691–699
Mortland MM, Raman KV (1968) Surface acidity of smectites in relation to hydration, exchangeable cation and structure. Clays Clay Min 16: 393
Moses CO, Herman JS (1991) Pyrite oxidation at circumneutral pH. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 55: 471–482
Moses CO, Nordstrom DK, Herman JS, Mills AL (1987) Aqueous pyrite oxidation by dissolved oxygen and by ferric iron. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 51: 1561–1571
Nairn RW, Hedin RS, Watzlaf GR (1991) A preliminary review of the use of anoxic limestone drains in the passive treatment of acid mine drainage. In: Proc 12th Annu West Virginia Surface Mine Drainage Task Force Symp, Morgantown, West Virginia, pp 23–38
Nairn RW, Hedin RS, Watzlaf GR (1992) Generation of alkalinity in an anoxic limestone drain. In: Proc 9th Annu Meet American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation. Duluth, Minnesota, 14–18 June 1992
Nakamoto K (1986) Infrared and Raman spectra of inorganic and coordination compounds. Wiley, New York
Pichtel JR, Dick WA (1991) Influence of biological inhibitors on the oxidation of pyritic mine spoil. Soil Biol Biochem 23: 109–116
Ritcey GM (1991) Deep water disposal of pyritic tailings. In: Proc 2nd Int Conf on the Abatement of acidic drainage, 16–18 Sept, Montreal, Quebec, pp 421–442
Rowley MV, Warkentin DD, Yan VT, Piroshco BM (1994) The biosulfide process: integrated biological/chemical acid mine drainage treatment — result of laboratory piloting. In: Proc Int Land reclamation and mine drainage Conf and 3rd Int Conf on the Abatement of acidic drainage, vol 1: mine drainage, Pittsburgh, P 205
Shellhorn M, Rastogi V (1985) Practical control of acid mine drainage using bactericides. In: Proc 6th West Virginia Surface Mine Drainage Task Force Symp, Morgantown, West Virginia
Singer PC, Stumm W (1970) Acid mine drainage: rate-determining step. Science 167: 1121–1123
Spotts E, Dollhopf DJ (1992) Evaluation of phosphate materials for control of acid production in pyritic mine overburden. J Environ Qual 21: 627–634
Staub MW, Cohen RRH (1992) A passive mine drainage treatment system as a bioreactor: treatment efficiency, pH increase, and sulfate reduction in two parallel reactors. In: Achieving land use potential through the reclamation. Proc 9th Natl Meet American Society of Surface Mining and Reclamation, 14–18 June 1992, Duluth, Minnesota, pp 550–562
Stumm W, Morgan JJ (1979) Aquatic chemistry. Wiley, New York
Taylor BE, Wheeler MC, Nordstrom DK (1984a) Oxygen and sulfur compositions of sulfate in acid mine drainage: evidence for oxidation mechanism. Nature 308: 538–541
Taylor BE, Wheeler MC, Nordstrom DK (1984b) Stable isotope geochemistry of acid mine drainage: experimental oxidation of pyrite. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 48: 2669–2678
Turner D, McCoy D (1990) Anoxic alkaline drain treatment system, a low cost acid mine drainage treatment alternative. In: Graves DH, De Vore RW (eds) Proc 1990 Natl Symp on Mining, Lexington, Kentucky, pp 73–75
US Environmental Protection Agency (1982) Development document for effluent limitations guidelines and standards for coal mining, Washington, EPA 440/1–82/057, 660 pp
US Government Printing Office (1988) Code of federal regulations, title 40, protection of the environment, Washington, DC, parts 100–149, pp 530–531, p 608
Watzlaf GR, Hedin RS (1993) A method for predicting alkalinity generated by anoxic limestone drains. In: Proc 1993 West Virginia Surface Mine Drainage Task Force Symp, Morgantown, West Virginia, 27–28 April
Wildeman TR (1991) Drainage from coal mine. In: Peters DC (ed) Geology in coal resource utilization. Techbooks, Fairfax, Virginia, p 499
Zhang YL (1993) Chemistry of fly ash scrubber sludge components in plantsoil-water systems. PhD Diss, University of Missouri, Columbia
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Evangelou, V.P. (1998). Pyrite Chemistry: The Key for Abatement of Acid Mine Drainage. In: Geller, W., Klapper, H., Salomons, W. (eds) Acidic Mining Lakes. Environmental Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71954-7_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71954-7_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-71956-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-71954-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive