Characteristics and Environmental Response of White Secondary Mineral Precipitate in the Acid Mine Drainage From Jinduicheng Mine, Shaanxi, China

The study focuses on the white secondary mineral precipitate and its environmental response formed in acid mine drainage (AMD) at Jinduicheng Mine (Shaanxi, China). The mineral composition of white precipitate was characterized by Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), chemical quantitative calculation and PHREEQC software. The white precipitate was a kind of amorphous crystal with the characteristics of a fine powder, and its main elements were O, Al, S, F, OH- and SO42- groups. Moreover, by comparing the mole number of chemical elements, the main mineral composition of the white precipitate was closest to basaluminite. The geochemical simulation result of the PHREEQC software verified that the white precipitate was basaluminite. According to the analysis of water quality characteristics of water samples, basaluminite can reduce the ions content in the AMD and enrich Cu, Ni, Mo, Cr and F ions, showing an excellent self-purification capacity of the water body. These results are helpful to improve the understanding of secondary mineral and its environmental response, and are of great significance for the environmental protection and sustainable development of mining area.

Automated summary

This study focused on the white secondary mineral precipitate formed in acid mine drainage (AMD) at Jinduicheng Mine in China, characterizing it as an amorphous crystal with the main elements O, Al, S, F, OH-, and SO42-. The geochemical simulation using the PHREEQC software confirmed the white precipitate as basaluminite, which exhibits self-purification capacity in AMD by reducing ion content and enriching certain elements. The results contribute to a better understanding of secondary minerals and their environmental responses, with implications for environmental protection and sustainable development in mining areas.