Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fenton, O. Articles by Huallacháin, D. O Search for Related Content

Site-specific P absorbency of ochre from acid mine-drainage near an abandoned Cu-S mine in the Avoca–Avonmore catchment, Ireland

¹ Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Environmental Research Centre, Co Wexford, Ireland,² Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

^* E-mail: owen.fenton{at}teagasc.ie

(Received 13 June 2008; revised 25 September 2008)

Acid mine-drainage from an abandoned Cu-S mine adit, located in the Avoca–Avonmore catchment in the southeast of Ireland, results in low-value ochre deposition. Ochre found on-site had similar physical (particle size 97.7% <2 mm and dry bulk density 0.8 g cm³), but dissimilar maximum P-retention characteristics (16–21 g P kg ^–1) to coal-mining ochre found in the UK. Stereomicroscopy identified oolites and diatoms in the ochre that were indicative of acidic environments. X-ray diffraction showed Fe mineralogy consisting of goethite, jarosite and minor amounts of ferrihydrite. Investigations by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and bulk energy-dispersive spectroscopy showed potentially toxic concentrations of Fe, Zn, Pb, As and Cu. Rapid mobilization of metals occurred during P-adsorption tests, which makes Avoca ochre unsuitable for use in a surface-water environmental technology.

KEYWORDS: acid mine-drainage, ochre, phosphorus, Avoca–Avonmore catchment, Ireland