Characterization of Iron III Oxyhydroxides in Hydrometalllurgical Residues

The characterization of iron iii oxyhydroxides arising from neutralization (removing dissolved iron and/or impurities), or precipitation in storage ponds, mine drainage and waste streams (oxidization of dissoved Fe ii) can prove difficult. The low solubility of iron iii inherently creates a high su...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Loan, Mitch, Richmond, William, Hockridge, James, Hart, Robert, Farrow, John, Parkinson, Gordon, St. Pierre, T., Newman, M.
Format: Conference Paper
Published: The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society 2005
Subjects:
Online Access:http://iweb.tms.org/Purchase/ProductDetail.aspx?Product_code=05-5816-CD
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45922
Description
Summary:The characterization of iron iii oxyhydroxides arising from neutralization (removing dissolved iron and/or impurities), or precipitation in storage ponds, mine drainage and waste streams (oxidization of dissoved Fe ii) can prove difficult. The low solubility of iron iii inherently creates a high supersaturation environment favoring the formation of nanoscale, poorly crystalline, and metastable phases. These often have poor physical properties - controlling the properties of the residue - and contain high loadings of important adsorbed components. In this manuscript we provide examples of iron iii oxyhydroxide characterization from hydrometallurgical residues and more synthetic-based studies. We detail techniques to help delineate differences between poorly crystalline iron iii oxyhydroxides (2- and 6-line ferrihydrite, schwertmannite, akaganeite and goethite), and more combinational approaches for when admixed in heterogeneous residues. Generally, identification and even quantification can be achieved with a higher degree of confidence than by use of a single technique such as X-ray diffraction (XRD)