Mineralogy and geochemistry of the copper-dominated neutral mine drainage at the Cu deposit L'ubietova-Podlipa (Slovakia)

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00023272%3A_____%2F18%3A10134126" target="_blank" >RIV/00023272:_____/18:10134126 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2018.02.012" target="_blank" >http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2018.02.012</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2018.02.012" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.apgeochem.2018.02.012</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the copper-dominated neutral mine drainage at the Cu deposit L'ubietova-Podlipa (Slovakia)

Original language description

The neutral mine drainage system at Eubietova in Slovakia is overwhelmingly dominated by copper (17 ppm in the most concentrated aqueous sample) and sulfate and almost devoid of iron (0.7 ppb in the most concentrated aqueous sample). This mine drainage is generated by oxidative dissolution of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), as confirmed by sulfur isotopes, and its neutral nature is maintained by buffering via the primary carbonates. The copper- and sulfate-laden water is discharged through the lowermost adits in the ore field; inside the adits, blue gel covers the stream and converts slowly to crystalline langite (Cu-4(SO4)(OH)(6)center dot 2H(2)O). X-ray absorption spectroscopy on Cu K edge showed that the local structure inside the gel is similar to that in langite. Calculation of saturation indices showed supersaturation with respect to sulfates (langite, brochantite (Cu-4(SO4 )(OH)(6))), malachite, and copper arsenates and phosphates. Arsenates and phosphates were not found and do not form, probably because of kinetic hindrance. The solubility product of langite was estimated as log K-sp = 17.73. Outside of the adits, transmission electron microscopy showed redox cycling of copper via the formation of nanocrystals of native copper on rock-forming sheet silicates. The copper concentrations are naturally attenuated, being reduced by a factor of 100 once the mine drainage reaches the Hutna river, about 1 km away from the discharge site. Sulfur isotopes document that no copper sulfides are precipitating; copper must be removed from the contaminated water in the form of sulfates or carbonates. The natural attenuation could be responsible for the enrichment of hyporheic sediments with copper whose mineralogy and geochemistry is unknown but its size is estimated to several metric tonnes of copper.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10504 - Mineralogy

Project

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Continuities

V - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z jinych verejnych zdroju

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Applied Geochemistry

ISSN

0883-2927

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

92

Issue of the periodical within the volume

květen

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

59-70

UT code for WoS article

000432195100006

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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