Effects of organic acids on dissolution of Fe and Mn from weathering coal gangue

Understanding the effects of organic acids (OA) on the transformation of Fe and Mn to surface water from the weathering coal gangue is of great benefit to risk assessment and remediation strategies for contaminated water and soil. Based on the investigation on surface water in the central coal districts of the Guizhou Province, 18 water samples were collected for heavy metal analysis. The results indicated that the pH value of surface water is low (3.11-4.92), and Fe concentration (1.31-5.55 mg L-1) and Mn concentration (1.90-5.71 mg L-1) were, on average, 10.86 and 34.33 times the limit of Surface Water Quality Standards, respectively. In order to evaluate the effects of the OA on the dissolution of Fe and Mn from the weathering coal gangue, column elution and batch leaching experiments were conducted. The results show that the low molecular weight of organic acids (LMWOAs, i. e., oxalic, tartaric, malic and citric acids) and fulvic acids significantly accelerated the dissolution of Fe and Mn; in addition, when the concentration of OA reached 25 mmol L-1, the concentrations of Fe, and Mn were 1.14-67.08 and 1.11-2.32 times as high as those in 0.5 mmol L-1 OA, respectively. Furthermore, the migration of Fe and Mn was significantly influenced by the pH and Eh, especially for Fe; the ion Mn was dissolved from the gangue more easily than the ion Fe in the column leaching, which was contrary to the results of batch leaching.