Geochemistry Commons^™

Pyrolysis-Gc-Ms For The Rapid Environmental Forensic Screening Of Contaminated Brownfield Soil, Azucena Lara-Gonzalo, Michael A. Kruge, I Lores, B Gutiérrez, José Luis Gallego

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

An abandoned chemical plant in Asturias (Spain) was studied using a multi-faceted molecular fingerprinting approach, demonstrating that it is possible to: (1) carefully unravel tangled evidence resulting from multiple pollution sources, and (2) recognize major contaminants largely ignored by conventional analyses. This methodology employed a battery of GC-MS analyses of liquid chromatographic fractions of soil extracts, plus the pyrolysis products of the soil extract's asphaltene fraction and the whole soil itself. In this example, coal tar distillation and the subsequent production of naphthalene, phenols and polymer resins are responsible for most of the soil contamination. Styrene, naphthalene, indene, and their …

Driftless Area Karst Of Northwestern Illinois And Its Effects On Groundwater Quality, Samuel V. Panno, Walton R. Kelly

Sinkhole Conference 2015

The bedrock aquifer of the Driftless Area of northwestern Illinois is Ordovician-age Galena Dolomite. Previous work by the authors and others showed that the geology and hydrogeology of this area fall well within the definition of karst. Bedrock in the study area has been shown to be extensively fractured and creviced; karst features in the county are dominated by solution-enlarged crevices from 0.4 inches to 3 feet wide within most road cuts and quarries examined. Other karst features include cover-collapse sinkholes ranging from 3 to 25 feet in diameter overlying Galena Dolomite, karst springs and crevice caves. A preliminary evaluation …

Wetchimp-Wsl: Intercomparison Of Wetland Methane Emissions Models Over West Siberia, T. J. Bohn, J. R. Melton, A. Ito, T. Kleinen, R. Spahni, B. D. Stocker, B. Zhang, X. Zhu, R. Schroeder, M. V. Glagolev, S. Maksyutov, V. Brovkin, G. Chen, S. N. Denisov, A. V. Eliseev, A. Gallego-Sala, K. C. Mcdonald, M. A. Rawlins, W. J. Riley, Z. M. Subin, H. Tian, Q. Zhuang, J. O. Kaplan

Publications and Research

Wetlands are the world’s largest natural source of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. The strong sensitivity of methane emissions to environmental factors such as soil temperature and moisture has led to concerns about potential positive feedbacks to climate change. This risk is particularly relevant at high latitudes, which have experienced pronounced warming and where thawing permafrost could potentially liberate large amounts of labile carbon over the next 100 years. However, global models disagree as to the magnitude and spatial distribution of emissions, due to uncertainties in wetland area and emissions per unit area and a scarcity of in situ observations. …

Improving Processing By Adaption To Conditional Geostatistical Simulation Of Block Compositions, R. Tolosana-Delgado, Ute A. Mueller, K. G. Van Den Boogaart, C. Ward, J. Gutzmer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Exploitation of an ore deposit can be optimized by adapting the beneficiation processes to the properties of individual ore blocks. This can involve switching in and out certain treatment steps, or setting their controlling parameters. Optimizing this set of decisions requires the full conditional distribution of all relevant physical parameters and chemical attributes of the feed, including concentration of value elements and abundance of penalty elements. As a first step towards adaptive processing, the mapping of adaptive decisions is explored based on the composition, in value and penalty elements, of the selective mining units. Conditional distributions at block support are …

Trace Element Behavior During Coal Combustion: Insights From Cadmium And Zinc Isotope Analysis, Fotios Fouskas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Due to its low cost and abundance, coal has been pervasively used in recent decades to meet large energy demands worldwide. Coal combustion provides the dominant electrical source in the U.S and produces over 100 million tons of coal combustion products (CCPs) per year domestically. The disposal/beneficial use of CCPs has the potential to release toxic trace elements, including cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn), into the environment. High temperature combustion of coal changes both physical states and chemical properties of Cd and Zn compounds in CCPs. Related processes such as evaporation and condensation, can lead to mass-dependent fractionation of Cd …

The Environmental Effects Of Coal Fires, Trent Garrison

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

There are thousands of subterranean coal fires in the world that, because of incomplete combustion, emit a wide variety of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds to the atmosphere, water, and soil at concentrations that could pose health risks to humans and wildlife. The main goals of this study were to (1) review methods that are used to characterize physical and chemical characteristics of coal-fire sites, (2) determine relationships between gas emissions and physical and chemical characteristics of coal-fire sites, using a combination of regression and multivariate statistical methods, and (3) determine the concentrations of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds in …

Fluvial Responses To Growth Faulting In The West Pearl River, Louisiana, Stephen A. Prosser

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) in southeastern Louisiana is an actively deforming deltaic complex displaying surface and near-surface evidence of growth faulting. Active growth faults in these environments are rarely identified at the surface, in part because the downthrown blocks often experience increased rates of sediment deposition leading to an obscured and low-relief, or entirely absent, surface expression. Faulting can be expressed in fluvial systems as changes in channel gradient, which often result in coincident changes in channel sinuosity, migration rates, planform deflections, and/or ponding features within the deformed zone. The study area is focused on a meander bend of …

Timing And Source Of Alkali Enrichment At Mt. Etna, Sicily: Constraints From Clinopyroxene Geobarometry And In Situ Sr Isotope Data, Kaitlyn Nelson

All Master's Theses

Since 1971, Mt. Etna, Europe’s largest and most active volcano, has exhibited increased eruption frequency and explosivity. Associated with this increased activity, researchers have documented higher abundances of alkali elements (K, Rb, Cs) as well as elevated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in Etnean lavas. The source of this alkali-enrichment has been hotly debated, with end-member hypotheses involving mantle vs. crustal contributions. To further characterize the evolution of the subvolcanic magma storage and transport system, as well as the timing and source of alkali-enrichment, clinopyroxene from ten samples erupted between 1329 and 2004 was targeted for in situ textural, major element …

Schreibersite: Synthesis, Characterization And Corrosion And Possible Implications For Origin Of Life, Nikita Latesha La Cruz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We present study of the synthesis and reactions of an analog of the meteoritic mineral schreibersite with formula (Fe,Ni)3P, believed to be a prebiotic source of reactive phosphorus that may have prompted the formation of phosphorylated biomolecules near the time of the origin of life (Pasek and Lauretta, 2005). The mineral was synthesized by mixing stoichiometric proportions of elemental iron, nickel and phosphorus and heating in a tube furnace at 820°C for approximately 235 hours under argon or under vacuum, a modification of the method of Skála and Drábek (2002). The mineral was characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray photoelectron …

Insights Into The Relationship Between Mixing Duration And Volcanic Explosivity Index (Vei): Pacaya And Fuego Volcanoes, Guatemala, Nicola Mari

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This study investigates whether the timing of magma mixing phenomena could be related to explosivity and style of volcanic activity. Lava flow and tephra samples, derived from observed, energetically-diverse eruptions, from Pacaya and Fuego volcanoes (Guatemala), were studied, the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) was used as an indicator of eruption intensity. Polarized light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques were used for textural and geochemical measurements. Results are interpreted as evolution of mixing through changes in textures of plagioclase and olivine crystals. These suggest that boxy-cellular plagioclase (high frequency in VEI 0 samples) is associated with brief mixing residence …

Salt And Mineral Recovery From High Salinity Waters, Osvaldo Alejandro Broesicke

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Natural salt springs in the Salt Fork Basin in Crosby County, Texas, result in the natural salt pollution of the Brazos River, rendering it unusable for most potable purposes. Previous research indicates that by intercepting the source of the pollution, water quality of the Brazos River can be greatly improved. This paper investigates and assesses two strategies for salt and mineral recovery using natural brine collected from the Salt Fork Basin, the first of which is presented in a separate work.

The research described in this paper evaluates the potential of a desulfation, soda-caustic softening, acidification/decarbonation, and evaporation process to …

Quantifying Weathering Rates On Tropical Volcanic Basse-Terre Island, French Guadeloupe: Insights From U-Series Isotopes In Weathering Rinds, Jacqueline Engel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Weathering of volcanic rocks plays many important roles at Earth’s surface such as modifying landscapes, providing nutrients to soil, and regulating atmospheric CO2. U-series isotopes (e.g. 238U-234U-230Th and 232Th) have been established as a chronometer used to constrain the formation rates of weathering rinds in tropical island environments. Here, U-series isotopes and major element concentrations were analyzed in two basaltic-andesite weathering rinds collected from the Deshaies watershed located in the northern, relatively dry (mean annual precipitation (MAP) = 1800 mm) region of tropical Basse-Terre Island, Guadeloupe. The two clasts are referred to as clasts AN-14-7.5 and AN-14-7.6. Elemental mobility trends …

A Geochemical Investigation Of Co₂ Sequestration And Site Characterization At Two Missouri Locations, Robert Allen Swain

Masters Theses

"The feasibility of sequestering CO₂ in saline aquifers of Lamotte Formation sandstone was investigated at wells located near Thomas Hill power plant, Moberly, MO and Sioux City Power Plant in Florissant, MO. Governing factors of using aquifers for CO₂ disposal include water salinity, potential for carbonic acid buffering, rate of precipitation of carbonate minerals following CO₂ introduction into the host aquifer, and the integrity of the Davis and Derby-DoeRun shale as a trap rock to prevent migration of the CO₂ phase and carbonic acid into the overlying potable Ozark Aquifer.

Both in situ and laboratory methods …

Analytical Pyrolysis Principles And Applications To Environmental Science, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Over the past half century, analytical pyrolysis has proven itself to be an effective means for the semiquantitative characterization of complex macromolecular organic substances. It has been demonstrated that instruments such as Py-FID, Py-MS, and in particular, Py-GC/MS can provide valuable geochemical insights when applied to a wide variety of problems in environmental science. The more widespread use of analytical pyrolysis methods in the evaluation of environmental pollution is recommended, because of their relatively low cost and information-rich results.

Pyrolysis is the heating of organic substances in an inert, oxygen-free atmosphere, thereby avoiding combustion. When performed on a large scale, …

Identification And Quantification Of Diffuse Fresh Submarine Groundwater Discharge Via Airborne Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing, Joseph T. Tamborski, A Deanne Rogers, Henry J. Bokuniewicz, J Kirk Cochran, Caitlin R. Young

Department of Geosciences Faculty Publications

Airborne thermal infrared (TIR) overflights were combined with shoreline radionuclide surveys to investigate submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) along the north shore of Long Island, NY between June 2013 and September 2014. Regression equations developed for three distinct geomorphological environments suggest a positive linear relationship between the rate of diffuse SGD and the spatial extent of the observed coastal TIR anomalies; such a relationship provides quantitative evidence of the ability to use TIR remote sensing as a tool to remotely identify and measure SGD. Landsat TIR scenes were unable to resolve any of the 18 TIR anomalies identified during the various …

Morphological, Structural, And Spectral Characteristics Of Amorphous Iron Sulfates, Elizabeth Sklute, Heidi Jensen, Deanne Rogers, Richard Reeder

Department of Geosciences Faculty Publications

Current or past brine hydrologic activity on Mars may provide suitable conditions for the formation of amorphous ferric sulfates. Once formed, these phases would likely be stable under current Martian conditions, particularly at low- to mid-latitudes. Therefore, we consider amorphous iron sulfates (AIS) as possible components of Martian surface materials. Laboratory AIS were created through multiple synthesis routes and characterized with total X-ray scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, visible/near-infrared (VNIR), thermal infrared (TIR), and Mössbauer techniques. We synthesized amorphous ferric sulfates (Fe(III)2(SO4)3 · ~ 6–8H2O) from sulfate-saturated fluids via vacuum dehydration or exposure to low relative humidity (

Feldspathic Rocks On Mars: Compositional Constraints From Infrared Spectroscopy And Possible Formation Mechanisms, Deanne Rogers, Hanna Nekvasil

Department of Geosciences Faculty Publications

Rare feldspar-dominated surfaces on Mars were previously reported based on near-infrared (NIR) spectral data and were interpreted to consist of anorthosite or felsic rocks. Using thermal infrared (TIR) data over the feldspar detections with the largest areal extent in Nili Patera and Noachis Terra, we rule out felsic interpretations. Basaltic or anorthositic compositions are consistent with TIR measurements, but the geologic contexts for these regions do not support a plutonic origin. Laboratory NIR spectral measurements demonstrate that large plagioclase crystals (>~840 μm) can be detected in mixtures with as much as 50 vol % mafics, which is higher than …

Mineral And Geochemical Attributes Of The Midcontinent Rift Sequence; An Application For Deep Carbon Dioxide Sequestration, Alsedik Mohamed Ali Abousif

Doctoral Dissertations

"The potential for using the Oronto Group of the Midcontinent Rift (MCR) Sequence for CO₂ sequestration has been disparaged because of low porosity-permeability characteristics, which are largely a result of extensive calcite cementation. This study investigated the potential for using the MCR as a target for CO₂ sequestration by examining reactions involving detrital host-rock minerals at high pressure-temperature conditions that could provide dissolved Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Fe²⁺, and then precipitating these cations as carbonate minerals. The effect of carbonic acid on cement dissolution was also evaluated with respect to enhancing porosity and …

Groundwater Lowering And Stream Incision Rates In The Central Appalachian Mountains Of West Virginia, Usa, Gregory S. Springer, Holly A. Poston, Ben Hardt, Harold D. Rowe

International Journal of Speleology

Surface channel incision rates are of broad geomorphological interest because they set the boundary conditions for landscape change by affecting changes in local relief and hillslope angles. We report groundwater table lowering rates associated with subsurface Buckeye Creek and the surface channel of Spring Creek in southeastern West Virginia, USA. The mountainous watersheds have drainage areas of 14 km² and 171 km², respectively. The lowering rates are derived from U/Th-dating of stalagmites and the paleomagnetostratigraphy of clastic sediments in Buckeye Creek Cave. The oldest stalagmites have a minimum age of 0.54 Ma and we use a minimum …

A Niobium Deposit Hosted By A Magnetite–Dolomite Carbonatite, Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex, Nebraska, Usa, Michael J. Blessington

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex (ECCC) is a large Early Cambrian carbonatite complex that intrudes Precambrian basement rocks in Southeast Nebraska. This dolomitic carbonatite complex includes a magnetite-dolomite rock with accessory barite, ilmenite, rutile, and quartz. This rock is identified by a characteristic enrichment in niobium due to accessory pyrochlore mineralization in the form of disseminations and inclusions in ilmenite and magnetite. Pyrochlore is also present in other carbonatite rocks in the complex as an accessory mineral with sporadic local high-grade intercepts in drill cores.

Carbonatite rock samples are characterized by transmitted-light microscopy, cathodoluminescent microscopy, backscattered electron imaging (BEI), and …