Sequestration of Antimony on Calcite Observed by Time-Resolved Nanoscale Imaging

Antimony, which has damaging effects on the human body and the ecosystem, can be released into soils, ground-, and surface waters either from ore minerals that weather in near surface environments, or due to anthropogenic releases from waste rich in antimony, a component used in batteries, electroni...

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Main Authors: Renard, F., Putnis, Christine, Montes-Hernandez, G., King, H., Breedveld, G., Okkenhaug, G.
Format: Journal Article
Published: American Chemical Society 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/59777
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author Renard, F.
Putnis, Christine
Montes-Hernandez, G.
King, H.
Breedveld, G.
Okkenhaug, G.
author_facet Renard, F.
Putnis, Christine
Montes-Hernandez, G.
King, H.
Breedveld, G.
Okkenhaug, G.
author_sort Renard, F.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Antimony, which has damaging effects on the human body and the ecosystem, can be released into soils, ground-, and surface waters either from ore minerals that weather in near surface environments, or due to anthropogenic releases from waste rich in antimony, a component used in batteries, electronics, ammunitions, plastics, and many other industrial applications. Here, we show that dissolved Sb can interact with calcite, a widespread carbonate mineral, through a coupled dissolution–precipitation mechanism. The process is imaged in situ, at room temperature, at the nanometer scale by using an atomic force microscope equipped with a flow-through cell. Time-resolved imaging allowed following the coupled process of calcite dissolution, nucleation of precipitates at the calcite surface and growth of these precipitates. Sb(V) forms a precipitate, whereas Sb(III) needs to be oxidized to Sb(V) before being incorporated in the new phase. Scanning-electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy allowed identification of the precipitates as two different calcium–antimony phases (Ca2Sb2O7). This coupled dissolution–precipitation process that occurs in a boundary layer at the calcite surface can sequester Sb as a solid phase on calcite, which has environmental implications as it may reduce the mobility of this hazardous compound in soils and groundwaters.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2018
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-597772018-06-01T00:51:14Z Sequestration of Antimony on Calcite Observed by Time-Resolved Nanoscale Imaging Renard, F. Putnis, Christine Montes-Hernandez, G. King, H. Breedveld, G. Okkenhaug, G. Antimony, which has damaging effects on the human body and the ecosystem, can be released into soils, ground-, and surface waters either from ore minerals that weather in near surface environments, or due to anthropogenic releases from waste rich in antimony, a component used in batteries, electronics, ammunitions, plastics, and many other industrial applications. Here, we show that dissolved Sb can interact with calcite, a widespread carbonate mineral, through a coupled dissolution–precipitation mechanism. The process is imaged in situ, at room temperature, at the nanometer scale by using an atomic force microscope equipped with a flow-through cell. Time-resolved imaging allowed following the coupled process of calcite dissolution, nucleation of precipitates at the calcite surface and growth of these precipitates. Sb(V) forms a precipitate, whereas Sb(III) needs to be oxidized to Sb(V) before being incorporated in the new phase. Scanning-electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy allowed identification of the precipitates as two different calcium–antimony phases (Ca2Sb2O7). This coupled dissolution–precipitation process that occurs in a boundary layer at the calcite surface can sequester Sb as a solid phase on calcite, which has environmental implications as it may reduce the mobility of this hazardous compound in soils and groundwaters. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/59777 10.1021/acs.est.7b04727 American Chemical Society restricted
spellingShingle Renard, F.
Putnis, Christine
Montes-Hernandez, G.
King, H.
Breedveld, G.
Okkenhaug, G.
Sequestration of Antimony on Calcite Observed by Time-Resolved Nanoscale Imaging
title Sequestration of Antimony on Calcite Observed by Time-Resolved Nanoscale Imaging
title_full Sequestration of Antimony on Calcite Observed by Time-Resolved Nanoscale Imaging
title_fullStr Sequestration of Antimony on Calcite Observed by Time-Resolved Nanoscale Imaging
title_full_unstemmed Sequestration of Antimony on Calcite Observed by Time-Resolved Nanoscale Imaging
title_short Sequestration of Antimony on Calcite Observed by Time-Resolved Nanoscale Imaging
title_sort sequestration of antimony on calcite observed by time-resolved nanoscale imaging
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/59777