Study of Ni sorption onto Tio mine waste rock surfaces

0883-2927/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier Ltd. A doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2010.09.010 ⇑ Corresponding author. Fax: +1 819 797 4727. E-mail address: [email protected] (B. Plante). Sorption phenomena are known to play significant roles in metal mobility in mine drainage waters. The present study focuses on sorption phenomena controlling Ni concentrations in contaminated neutral drainage issued from the waste rock piles of the Tio mine, a hematite–ilmenite deposit near HavreSaint-Pierre, Québec, Canada exploited by Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium. Batch sorption tests were conducted on waste rock samples of different composition and degree of alteration, as well as on the main mineral phases purified from the waste rocks. Sorbed phases were submitted to sequential extractions, XPS and DRIFT studies for further interpretation of sorption phenomena. The results from the present study confirm that sorption phenomena play a significant role in the Tio mine waste rocks, and that the main sorbent phases are the residual ilmenite ore in waste rocks, as well as plagioclase, the main gangue mineral. Sequential extractions suggest that most sorption sites are associated with reducible fractions, and XPS results indicate that Ni is sorbed as the hydroxide Ni(OH)2. The results from the present study provide useful information on sorption phenomena involved in the Tio mine waste rocks and enable further interpretation of Ni geochemistry in contaminated neutral drainage. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.