Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Metal cation/anion adsorption on calcium carbonate: Implications to metal ion concentrations in groundwater

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6279318

This chapter evaluates the sorption behavior of metallic ions on specimen calcite as a basis for determining the importance of calcite relative to other subsurface sorbents, such as layer silicates and oxides, in controlling metal ion concentration in calcareous groundwaters. A review of the literature shows the sorption of both metallic cations and anions on calcite over ranges in pH and CO{sub 2} partial pressure to be consistent with a surface-exchange process where cations exchange with surface Ca and anions exchange with surface CO{sub 3}. A general surface-exchange model was developed to account for the effects of Ca and CO{sub 3} concentrations, pH, and calcite surface area on cation and anion sorption onto calcite. The model was applied to recently developed experimental sorption data of Zn and SeO{sub 3} on specimen calcite in equilibrium CaCO{sub 3}(aq) suspensions. The surface-exchange model was able to describe the effects of pH on both cation and anion sorption, and provided good predictions of the effects of variable CO{sub 2}(g) pressure on Zn sorption and of PO{sub 4} on SeO{sub 3} sorption. The surface-exchange model, combined with sorption constants for other phases, was used to calculate Cd sorption to a hypothetical aquifer material containing a mixture of sorbents. The sorbent concentrations were fixed to those expected in groundwater zones. The multi-sorbent calculation documented the importance of calcite as a sorbent for metallic ions in groundwater.93 refs., 18 figs., 5 tabs.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE/ER; EPRI
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
6279318
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-18360; CONF-8905356--1; ON: DE91005611; CNN: RP2485-03
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English