The nature of arsenic in uranium mill tailings by X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Abstract

In order to understand the evolving world of environmental issues, the ability to characterize and predict the stability and bioavailability of heavy metal contaminants in mine waste is becoming increasingly more important. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies were used to characterize a series of synthetic and natural samples associated with mine tailings processing. XANES was shown to be excellent as a tool to rapidly differentiate oxidation states of arsenic within the samples. The EXAFS spectra provided information on the mineralogy of the precipitated raffinate and tailings and showed that these samples are composed of a mixture of amorphous ferric arsenates, adsorbed arsenates and a mixture of other poorly ordered arsenates.