Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Liberation Of Acidity And Arsenic From Schwertmannite: Effect Of Fulvic Acid, Chamindra Vithana, Leigh Sullivan, Edward Burton, Richard Bush

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

Schwertmannite is one of the major components that produces acidity in acid mine drainage (AMD) and acid sulfate soils (ASS) and is also known to be an effective scavenger of Arsenic (As) in such environments. Fulvic acid (FA) is an active component of natural organic matter (NOM) and is known to interact strongly with both schwertmannite and As. Two main environmental hazards related to schwertmannite are acidity liberation and potential re-mobilization of adsorbed or co-precipitated As upon hydrolysis. This study focused on understanding the behaviour of As-substituted schwertmannite with regard to the potential of acidity liberation, the effect of FA …