Aqueous solubility diagrams for cementitious waste stabilization systems. 3. Mechanism of zinc immobilizaton by calcium silicate hydrate.

Zinc oxide was added during hydration of alite (C3S) as an analogue for solidification/stabilization by cement of metal-bearing hazardous waste. Curing of samples was stopped at various intervals between 8 h and 100 d, and the reaction products were analyzed by both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS at Zn, Ca, and Si K-edges). Calcium zincate hydrate (CaZn2(OH)6 x 2H2O) initially formed together with calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) vanishes from X-ray diffractograms after 14 d, and no other crystalline Zn-bearing phase could be detected thereafter. EXAFS Zn K-edge data analysis reveals that Zn(O,OH)4 tetrahedra continue to determine the first shell coordination…