Schwertmannite: Formation, Stability and Applications

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the structure and solubility of the mineral schwertmannite, while also delving into characterization methods and techniques, environmental stability, and the potential to retain pollutants.

Using examples from the 1990s, when the mineral was first discovered, Schwertmannite compiles years of research in this supplementary guide. Chapter 1 explains its occurrence in various environmental settings, the conditions of its formation, and its association with other secondary precipitates. Chapter 2 discusses its solubility, structure, and iron-sulphur coordination, while Chapter 3 delves into synthesizing approaches such as dialysis techniques, oxidation pathways, and urea hydrolysis. Chapter 4 explores how schwertmannite came to be characterized based on colour, composition, morphology, and crystallinity. The last two chapters deal with the mineral’s interaction with contaminants, its binding mechanisms, its metastability with respect to other iron oxyhydroxides, and the factors controlling transformation processes.

This book will benefit a large community of scientists and researchers working in acid mine drainage, since schwertmannite is the most abundant mineral in these sulphate-rich environments. It will be a valuable body of knowledge for research organizations and mining companies, as well as those teaching courses on mining, mineral chemistry, wastewater treatment, acid sulphate soils, soil geochemistry, and mine reclamation.

Susanta Paikaray is presently working on various aspects of aquatic geochemistry along alluvial plains. He currently works as an Assistant Professor at Panjab University Chandigarh (India) in the field of Environmental Geology, Climatology and Aqueous Geochemistry. He obtained his PhD degree on environmental and sedimentary geochemistry from IIT Bombay (India) and MSc in Applied Geology from IIT Roorkee (India). His research interests include mine drainage, wastewater treatment, mineral and sediment geochemistry, hydrochemistry and investigating soil, groundwater and crop pollution by metallic and non-metallic contaminants, microplastics in aquatic environment, mine tailing, and urban waste management. He has been working on schwertmannite for several years, especially aspects of stability, chemistry, and environmental applications.

Stefan Peiffer is working on the geochemistry of aquatic systems for more than 30 years with a focus on coupled geochemical and microbial processes in sedimentary and ground water environments. With a special emphasis on the interaction between the iron and sulfur cycle, his present research includes the kinetics and mechanisms of surface-mediated mineral transformations. He has also studied the effect of advective ground water flow on biogeochemical process rates during ground-water surface-water interactions, with attention to acid mine drainage affected systems including schwertmannite as a key mineral.