0000000000063847
AUTHOR
F. Sposito
Weathering of evaporites: natural versus anthropogenic signature on the composition of river waters
Weathering of evaporites strongly influences the chemistry of continental runoff, making surface waters poorly exploitable for civil uses. In south-central Sicily, this phenomenon is worsened by the occurrence of abandoned landfills of old sulphur and salt mines. The industrial evolution of the Bosco-S. Cataldo mining site leaved two landfills from the early exploitation of a sulphur mine followed by that of a kainite deposit. In particular, the weathering of these landfills leads the dissolved salt (TDS) values up to about 200 g l−1 in the Stincone–Salito Stream waters. This process induces the V, Cr and Fe desorption from sediments and particulates in the aqueous phase under reducing cond…
Trace elements in scalp hair of children chronically exposed to volcanic activity (Mt. Etna, Italy)
Abstract The aim of this survey was to use scalp hair as a biomonitor to evaluate the environmental exposure to metals and metalloids of schoolchildren living around the Mt. Etna area, and to verify whether the degree of human exposure to trace elements is subject to changes in local environmental factors. Twenty trace elements were determined in 376 samples of scalp hair from schoolboys (11–13 years old) of both genders, living in ten towns located around the volcanic area of Mt. Etna (Sicily). The results were compared with those (215 samples) from children living in areas of Sicily characterized by a different geological setting (reference site). As, U and V showed much higher concentrat…
Trace element fractionation through halite crystallisation: Geochemical mechanisms and environmental implications
Halite is an important mineral for industry, agriculture and food production. It crystallises after water evaporation, while the progressive growth of dissolved metal ions in brines is occurring. Then, halite exploitation may provide the delivery of metal ions in the environment and the mechanism of this trace element accumulation should be studied. In this work we investigate the distribution of lanthanides and Y (hereafter named Rare Earth Elements, REE), Zr and Hf between crystallising halite and brines in the Dead Sea as geochemical tools for recognising the mechanism of metal ion removal from brines and accumulation in halite. Halite forms cubic crystals where octahedral planes sometim…
The behaviour of zirconium and hafnium during water-rock interaction
Abstract Zr and Hf are two elements with same ionic charge and similar ionic size at a given coordination number. Despite the Zr/Hf ratio is quite constant in meteorites and lithospheric rocks, in natural waters can be either higher or lower compared to values of interacting minerals and rocks. Here, we reanalyze very recent published and present new data on continental and brine waters indicating that the Zr and Hf behavior is dependent on the properties of the authigenic phases formed during the water-rock interaction process. Our results show that water pH in the range between 1 and 9 and water ionic strength in the range between 0.001 and 4 mol kg−1 are responsible for the change of the…
The behaviour of zirconium, hafnium and rare earth elements during the crystallisation of halite and other salt minerals
Abstract Halite crystals from Messinian and Tortonian evaporites from Sicily and Spain and current precipitated halite crystals and the relative parent brines (active evaporation systems) were investigated in order to evaluate the Zr, Hf and Rare Earth Element (REE) behaviour. Halite crystallisation from evaporating brines fractionates Zr, Hf and REE through a two-step process. During the first step, dissolved complexes of studied elements are scavenged onto the surfaces of crystallising halite. During the second step, elements are co-precipitated into the crystal lattice as it grows. The first step mechanism is determined by the dissolved REE speciation. In saltworks where carbonate-REE co…
Boron and lithium behaviour in river waters under semiarid climatic conditions
Boron (B) and Lithium (Li) concentrations were studied in the Platani river, one of the most important catchments of South-Central Sicily which is under semiarid climatic conditions for roughly eight months to a year. In this area, evaporites result in potential B and Li sources for surface waters. Results from river waters have measured ionic strength values between 0.1 and 4.54 M. B and Li distributions in these waters were studied in colloidal (CF, extracted by ultrafiltration from the 0.45 μm filtrate) and total dissolved (TDF) fractions and in fractions extracted from corresponding riverbed sediments, according to changes of the B/Li ratio. In river waters, CF and TDF showed very simil…
Zr, Hf and REE distribution in river water under different ionic strength conditions
International audience; The Platani River flowing in south-central Sicily, interacting with evaporite rocks, generates a wide range of ionic strength in the water catchment from 0.1 to 5.0 mol kg−1. We sampled 38 river sites and analysed the composition for the dissolved fraction filtered through 0.45 μm, the truly dissolved fraction obtained through ultrafiltration (10 kDa) and the relative included colloidal fraction.This study was focused on the recognition of Zr, Hf and REE behaviour under changing ionic strength conditions, since this is one of parameters responsible for colloid stability in natural waters. In turn, this phenomenon leads to REE release from the colloidal fraction and t…