Leaching mechanisms of oxyanionic metalloid and metal species in alkaline solid wastes: A review

An overview is presented on possible mechanisms that control the leaching behaviour of the oxyanion forming elements As, Cr, Mo, Sb, Se, V and W in cementituous systems and alkaline solid wastes, such as municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash, fly ash and air pollution control residues, coal fly ash and metallurgical slags. Although the leachability of these elements generally depends on their redox state, speciation measurements are not common. Therefore, experimental observations available in the literature are combined with a summary of the thermal behaviour of these elements to assess possible redox states in freshly produced alkaline wastes, given their origin at high temperature. Possible redox reactions occurring at room temperature, on the other hand, are reviewed because these may alter the initial redox state in alkaline wastes and their leachates. In many cases, precipitation of oxyanions as a pure metalate cannot provide a satisfactory explanation for their leaching behaviour. It is therefore highly likely that adsorption and solid solution formation with common minerals in alkaline waste and cement reduce the leachate concentration of oxyanions below pure-phase solubility.     

The Nordic geological surveys： Geology for society in practice

Since the mid-nineteenth century., when the first of the Nordic Geological Surveys were established, they have generated a substantial amount of information on the Earth＇s crust, its natural resources, its processes, and on the geological history of Nordic areas. The collective mission of the geological surveys is to carry out ＂Geology for Society＂, by doing research and providing services, and by making geological information and data easily accessible to all the varied end users in industry, government agencies, government institutes, public administrations, technical offices, academia and research institutes, as well as for private individuals. The present paper gives a brief overview of a few, selected, research areas and projects currently undertaken by the Nordic geological surveys. These serve as practical examples of how the Nordic geological surveys address important societal problems and challenges that require geological input for their solution.     

An experimental study of Fe–Ni exchange between sulfide melt and olivine at upper mantle conditions: implications for mantle sulfide compositions and phase equilibria

The behavior of nickel in the Earth’s mantle is controlled by sulfide melt–olivine reaction. Prior to this study, experiments were carried out at low pressures with narrow range of Ni/Fe in sulfide melt. As the mantle becomes more reduced with depth, experiments at comparable conditions provide an assessment of the effect of pressure at low-oxygen fugacity conditions. In this study, we constrain the Fe–Ni composition of molten sulfide in the Earth’s upper mantle via sulfide melt–olivine reaction experiments at 2 GPa, 1200 and 1400 °C, with sulfide melt \(X_{{{\text{Ni}}}}^{{{\text{Sulfide}}}}=\frac{{{\text{Ni}}}}{{{\text{Ni}}+{\text{Fe}}}}\) (atomic ratio) ranging from 0 to 0.94. To verify the approach to equilibrium and to explore the effect of \({f_{{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}}}}\) on Fe–Ni exchange between phases, four different suites of experiments were conducted, varying in their experimental geometry and initial composition. Effects of Ni secondary fluorescence on olivine analyses were corrected using the PENELOPE algorithm (Baró et al., Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res B 100:31–46, 1995), “zero time” experiments, and measurements before and after dissolution of surrounding sulfides. Oxygen fugacities in the experiments, estimated from the measured O contents of sulfide melts and from the compositions of coexisting olivines, were 3.0?±?1.0 log units more reduced than the fayalite–magnetite-quartz (FMQ) buffer (suite 1, 2 and 3), and FMQ ??1 or more oxidized (suite 4). For the reduced (suites 1–3) experiments, Fe–Ni distribution coefficients \(K_{{\text{D}}}^{{}}=\frac{{(X_{{{\text{Ni}}}}^{{{\text{sulfide}}}}/X_{{{\text{Fe}}}}^{{{\text{sulfide}}}})}}{{(X_{{{\text{Ni}}}}^{{{\text{olivine}}}}/X_{{{\text{Fe}}}}^{{{\text{olivine}}}})}}\) are small, averaging 10.0?±?5.7, with little variation as a function of total Ni content. More oxidized experiments (suite 4) give larger values of K_D (21.1–25.2). Compared to previous determinations at 100 kPa, values of K_D from this study are chiefly lower, in large part owing to the more reduced conditions of the experiments. The observed difference does not seem attributable to differences in temperature and pressure between experimental studies. It may be related in part to the effects of metal/sulfur ratio in sulfide melt. Application of these results to the composition of molten sulfide in peridotite indicates that compositions are intermediate in composition (\(X_{{{\text{Ni}}}}^{{{\text{sulfide}}}}\)?~?0.4–0.6) in the shallow mantle at 50 km, becomes more Ni rich with depth as the O content of the melt diminishes, reaching a maximum (0.6–0.7) at depths near 80–120 km, and then becomes more Fe rich in the deeper mantle where conditions are more reduced, approaching (\(X_{{{\text{Ni}}}}^{{{\text{sulfide}}}}\)?~?0.28)?>?140 km depth. Because Ni-rich sulfide in the shallow upper mantle melts at lower temperature than more Fe-rich compositions, mantle sulfide is likely molten in much of the deep continental lithosphere, including regions of diamond formation.     

Trace element zoning in pyroxenes from ODP Hole 735B gabbros: diffusive exchange or synkinematic crystal fractionation?

Major and trace element profiles of clinopyroxene grains in oceanic gabbros from ODP Hole 735B have been investigated by a combined in situ analytical study with ion probe, and electron microprobe. In contrast to the homogeneous major element compositions, trace elements (REE, Y, Cr, Sr, and Zr) show continuous core to rim zoning profiles. The observed trace element systematics in clinopyroxene cannot be explained by a simple diffusive exchange between melts and gabbros along grain boundaries. A simultaneous modification of the melt composition is required to generate the zoning, although Rayleigh fractional crystallization modelling could mimic the general shape of the profiles. Simultaneous metasomatism between the cumulate crystal and the porous melt during crystal accumulation is the most likely process to explain the zoning. Deformation during solidification of the crystal mush could have caused squeezing out of the incompatible element enriched residual melts (interstitial liquid). Migration of the melt along grain boundaries might carry these melt out of the system. This process named as synkinematic differentiation or differentiation by deformation (Natland and Dick in J Volcanol Geotherm Res 110(3–4):191–233, 2001) may act as an important magma evolution mechanism in the oceanic crust, at least at slow-spreading ridges.     

The spatial pattern and dynamics of a Sahelian agro-ecosystem

The spatial pattern and dynamics of a Sahelian agro-ecosystem are analyzed. Approaches and methods suitable for land use systems analysis are discussed. The importance of combining various spatial and temporal scales in a multi-disciplinary framework is stressed. An analytical framework focusing on the land use system at the village level is presented. It pays specific attention to the integration of georelated data with those describing the socio-economic decision-making units (households). It is intended as a basic component in a land use analytical model which meets the requirements of being multidisciplinary as well as hierarchical.Selected results from a case study in northern Burkina Faso, are presented. Mainly issues with a spatial dimension, taking advantage of the georelated observations, are dealt with in this context. They reveal, for instance, that field pattern dynamics appear to be much more complex than generally believed and that the commonly held notion that fields are expanding cannot be confirmed by this case. The land use dynamics constitute a complex pattern, determined by household specific parameters as well as by the natural resource base. Furthermore, the experience from the application of a differential GPS for detailed land use studies in the Sahel is presented and discussed.     

Isotopic evidence (Sr/Sr, δLi) for alteration of the oceanic crust at deep-rooted mud volcanoes in the Gulf of Cadiz, NE Atlantic Ocean

The chemical and isotopic composition of pore fluids is presented for five deep-rooted mud volcanoes aligned on a transect across the Gulf of Cadiz continental margin at water depths between 350 and 3860 m. Generally decreasing interstitial Li concentrations and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios with increasing distance from shore are attributed to systematically changing fluid sources across the continental margin. Although highest Li concentrations at the near-shore mud volcanoes coincide with high salinities derived from dissolution of halite and late-stage evaporites, clayey, terrigenous sediments are identified as the ultimate Li source to all pore fluids investigated. Light δ⁷Li values, partly close to those of hydrothermal vent fluids (δ⁷Li: +11.9‰), indicate that Li has been mobilized during high-temperature fluid/sediment or fluid/rock interactions in the deep sub-surface. Intense leaching of terrigenous clay has led to radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7106) in pore fluids of the near-shore mud volcanoes. In contrast, non-radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7075) at the distal locations are attributed to admixing of a basement-derived fluid component, carrying an isotopic signature from interaction with the basaltic crust. This inference is substantiated by temperature constraints from Li isotope equilibrium calculations suggesting exchange processes at particularly high temperatures (>200 °C) for the least radiogenic pore fluids of the most distal location.Advective pore fluids in the off-shore reaches of the Gulf of Cadiz are influenced by successive exchange processes with both oceanic crust and terrigenous, fine-grained sediments, resulting in a chemical and isotopic signature similar to that of fluids in near-shore ridge flank hydrothermal systems. This suggests that deep-rooted mud volcanoes in the Gulf of Cadiz represent a fluid pathway intermediate between mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal vent and shallow, marginal cold seep. Due to the thicker sediment coverage and slower fluid advection rates, the overall geochemical signature is shifted towards the sediment-diagenetic signal compared to ridge flank hydrothermal environments.     

The extreme, red afterglow of GRB 060923A: distance or dust?

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are powerful probes of the early Universe, but locating and identifying very distant GRBs remain challenging. We report here the discovery of the K -band afterglow of Swift GRB 060923A, imaged within the first hour post-burst, and the faintest so far found. It was not detected in any bluer bands to deep limits, making it a candidate very high- z burst  ( z ≳ 11)  . However, our later-time optical imaging and spectroscopy reveal a faint galaxy coincident with the GRB position which, if it is the host, implies a more moderate redshift (most likely   z ≲ 2.8  ) and therefore that dust is the likely cause of the very red-afterglow colour. This being the case, it is one of the few instances so far found of a GRB afterglow with high-dust extinction.