• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.75-86
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• 2018

This study analyzed precipitation environment, heavy metal concentration, mineral composition, and spectral characteristics associated with heavy metal concentration and mineral composition for the reddish brown precipitates occurred in the drainage of Dogye mining station. The pH of the reddish brown precipitates ranges from 7.59 to 7.94 resulting neutral. XRF analysis reveals that the precipitates has high Fe concentration, and contaminated with Ni, Cu, and Zn. Dolomite, calcite, goethite, magnetite, kaolinite, pyrophyllite, quartz and aluminum isopropoxide were identified based on XRD analysis. As a result of spectral analysis associated with heavy metal contamination, visible reflectance increases and infrared reflectance decreases with a increase in heavy metal concentration. The spectral characteristics of the reddish brown precipitates is turned out to be manifested by goethite, magnetite, kaolinite, pyrophyllite and aluminum isopropoxide.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2019

The white aluminum phases in acid mine drainage usually precipitates when mixed with stream waters with relatively high pH. The minerals in white precipitates play important roles in controlling the behavior of heavy metals by adsorbing and coprecipitation. By the phase transition of these minerals in white precipitates, dissolution and readsorption of heavy metals may occur. This study was conducted to obtain preliminary information on the phase transition of the mineral phases in white precipitates. In this study, the mineral phase changes in the white precipitates collected from the stream around Dogye Mining Site over time were investigated with different pH values and temperatures. White precipitates consist mainly of basaluminite, amorphous $Al(OH)_3$ and a small amount of $Al_{13}$-tridecamer. During aging, the incongruent dissolution of the basaluminite occurs first, increasing the content of the amorphous $Al(OH)_3$. After that, pseudoboehmite is finally precipitated following the precursor phase of pseudoboehmite. At $80^{\circ}C$, this series of processes was clearly observed, but at relatively low temperatures, no noticeable changes were observed from the initial condition with coexisting basaluminite and amorphous $Al(OH)_3$. At high pH, the desorption of $SO{_4}^{2-}$ group in basaluminite was initiated to promote phase transition to the pseudoboehmite precursor. Over time, the solution pH decreases due to the dissolution and phase transition of the minerals, and even after the precipitation of pseudoboehmite, only the particle size slightly increased but no clear cystal form was observed.