First insights of Cr speciation in leached Portland cement using X-ray spectromicroscopy

Removal of Hexavalent Chromium in Portland Cement Using Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag Powder

Using ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) under different alkaline conditions, we studied the mechanisms and extents of Cr(VI) reduction and sorption and compared them to reactions with Portland cement (PC). We also investigated the effects of mixing PC/GGBS ratios on Cr(VI) dissolution after carbonating the substrates. We observed a complete sorption and reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in a GGBS-in-Ca(OH)₂ solution (pH > ~12.5) after 10 h, whereas in distilled water (pH = ~11.5) GGBS exhibited only marginal sorption and reduction (20%). Cr reactions with dissolved ions in supernatants derived from GGBS indicated that the anions dissolved from GGBS act as a reducing agent for Cr(VI) in a Ca(OH)₂ solution. Soft X-ray absorption microscopy identified a partial reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) on the GGBS surface. The carbonation of pure PC paste substantially increased the amount of dissolved Cr(VI) in a solution phase whereas a 5 wt % replacement of PC with GGBS significantly reduced the amount of dissolved Cr(VI). We concluded that in the mixed paste during the early curing stage GGBS reduced a significant fraction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and that the Cr(III) adsorbed in the GGBS-PC mixture’s hydration products does not readily dissolve, even under carbonation conditions.

Mechanisms and Modelling of Waste/Cement Interactions – Survey of Topics Presented at the Meiringen Workshop

Cementitious matrices are being used worldwide as a containment medium for radioactive and non-radioactive waste in order to retard the mobility of contaminants. The present thrust of research is to further the understanding of contaminant binding in the cementitious matrix in order to predict the long-term behaviour and the potential impact of the waste on the environment.

The workshop “Mechanisms and Modelling of Waste/Cement Interactions”, held in Meiringen, Switzerland, between May 8 and 12, 2005, focused on the chemical understanding and thermodynamic modelling of the processes responsible for the retention of radioactive and non-radioactive species in cementitious systems. The objectives of the workshop were to bring together scientists from different disciplines, i.e. cement chemistry, radioactive and non-radioactive hazardous waste disposal, to stimulate discussions on current developments and to identify future needs in this field of research. The topics treated in the workshop were chosen to maximize the benefit to the different fields of research. Cement chemists reported on developments in the understanding of cement mineralogy and thermodynamic modelling of cement systems. The hazardous and radioactive waste management communities presented their ideas on the mechanisms of contaminant binding to cement minerals as well as field, laboratory and modelling results from practical applications. In this paper important areas of research on waste/cement interactions presented in the workshop will be outlined and briefly discussed. The following overview reflects a subjective perception of the workshop and does not lay claim to deal comprehensively with all the papers that were presented in the workshop.

New Methodological Approach for the Vanadium K-Edge X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure Interpretation: Application to the Speciation of Vanadium in Oxide Phases from Steel Slag

This paper presents a comparison between several methods dedicated to the interpretation of V K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) features. V K-edge XANES spectra of several V-bearing standard compounds were measured in an effort to evaluate advantages and limits of each method. The standard compounds include natural minerals and synthetic compounds containing vanadium at various oxidation state (from +3 to +5) and in different symmetry (octahedral, tetrahedral, and square pyramidal). Correlations between normalized pre-edge peak area and its centroid position have been identified as the most reliable method for determining quantitative and accurate redox and symmetry information for vanadium. This methodology has been previously developed for the Fe K edge. It is also well adapted for the V K edge and is less influenced by the standard choice than other methods. This methodology was applied on an "environmental sample," i.e., a well-crystallized leached steel slag containing vanadium as traces. Micro-XANES measurements allowed elucidating the microdistribution of vanadium speciation in leached steel slag. The vanadium exhibits an important evolution from the unaltered to the altered phases. Its oxidation state increases from +3 to +5 together with the decrease of its symmetry (from octahedral to tetrahedral).

Cytotoxicity of partial-stabilized cement

Partial-stabilized cement (PSC) is a kind of modified calcium silicate cement used for root-end surgery. Minor transition metal elements Co, Cr, and Zn were added for enhancing the setting property of to PSC. In our previous study, minor transition metal additions greatly improved the setting property of PSC. However, the concern of metal toxicity was raised, as the material would be used in the human body. In this study, we evaluated the cytotoxicity of PSC in comparison with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), which is one of the commercialized materials used for dental root-end filling. Primary osteoblast cell was used as the target cell. Cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, viability, function, and senescence were analyzed. The cytotoxicity of the PSC-Zn group (PSC with Zn addition) was similar to that of MTA. PSC-Zn is not only nontoxic at the cellular level but also has adequate mechanical property, which makes it a potential root-end filling material for apical surgery.

Environmental impacts of steel slag reused in road construction: a crystallographic and molecular (XANES) approach

Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steel slag is a residue from the basic oxygen converter in steel-making operations, and is partially reused as an aggregate for road constructions. Although BOF slag is an attractive building material, its long-term behaviour and the associated environmental impacts must be taken into account. Indeed BOF slag is mainly composed of calcium, silicon and iron but also contains trace amounts of potential toxic elements, specifically chromium and vanadium, which can be released. The present research focuses (i) on the release of Cr and V during leaching and (ii) on their speciation within the bearing phase. Indeed the mobility and toxicity of heavy metals strongly depend on their speciation. Leaching tests show that only low amounts of Cr, present at relatively high concentration in steel slag, are released while the release of V is significantly high. X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy indicates that Cr is present in the less mobile and less toxic trivalent form and that its speciation does not evolve during leaching. On the contrary, V which is predominantly present in the 4+ oxidation state seems to become oxidized to the pentavalent form (the most toxic form) during leaching.

EXAFS study of U(VI) uptake by calcium silicate hydrates

Among the different cement minerals, calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) are the prime candidates for heavy metal binding because of their abundance and appropriate structure. Immobilization processes of heavy metals by cementitious materials, and in particular C-S-H phases, thus play an important role in multibarrier concepts developed worldwide for the safe disposal of hazardous and radioactive wastes. In this study, the uptake of U(VI) by C-S-H has been investigated using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. C-S-H phases were synthesized using two different procedures: One is based on the mixing of CaO and SiO2 solids ("direct reaction" method); for the other one starting solutions of Ca and Si are used ("solution reaction" method). XAFS investigations were carried out on samples doped with U(VI). U(VI) was either sorbed onto previously precipitated C-S-H phases (sorption samples) or added during C-S-H synthesis (coprecipitation samples). The coordination environment of U(VI) in the sorption samples was found to be independent of the procedure used for C-S-H synthesis. A split equatorial oxygen shell (Oeq1: R=2.23-2.27 A; Oeq2: R=2.36-2.45 A), neighboring silicon atoms at short (R=3.07-3.11 A) and long (R=3.71-3.77 A) distances, and neighboring Ca atoms (R=3.77-3.81 and 4.15-4.29 A) were observed for all the samples. The structural parameters resemble those reported for uranophane. The coordination environment of U(VI) in the coprecipitation samples depends on the method used for C-S-H synthesis, and further, the spectra differ from those determined for the sorption samples. UU backscattering contributions were observed in the samples prepared using the direct reaction method, whereas no split equatorial shell appeared in the samples prepared using the solution reaction method.

Leaching behavior of Cr(III) in stabilized/solidified soil

The leaching behavior of chromium was studied using batch leaching tests, surface complexation modeling and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. A contaminated soil sample containing 1330 mg-Cr kg(-1) and 25600 mg-Fe kg(-1) of dry soil was stabilized/solidified (S/S) with 10% cement, 25% cement, 10% lime and a mixture of 20% flyash and 5% lime. The XANES analysis showed that Cr(III) was the only Cr species in untreated soil and S/S-treated samples. The leachate Cr concentration determined using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) was reduced from 5.18 mg l(-1) for untreated soil to 0.84 mg l(-1) for the sample treated with 25% cement. The Cr leachability in untreated and treated soil samples decreased dramatically as the pH increased from 3 to 5, remained at similar levels in the pH range between 5 and 10.5, and further decreased at pH>10.5. Modeling results indicated that the release of Cr(III) was controlled by adsorption on iron oxides at pH<10.5, and by precipitation of Ca(2)Cr(2)O(5).6H(2)O at pH>10.5.

The use of (micro)-X-ray absorption spectroscopy in cement research

Long-term predictions on the mobility and the fate of radionuclides and contaminants in cementitious waste repositories require a molecular-level understanding of the geochemical immobilization processes involved. In this study, the use of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) for chemical speciation of trace elements in cementitious materials will be outlined presenting two examples relevant for nuclear waste management. The first example addresses the use of XAS on powdered cementitious materials to determine the local coordination environment of Sn(IV) bound to calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H). Sn K-edge XAS data of Sn(IV) doped C-S-H can be rationalized by corner sharing binding of Sn octahedra to Si tetrahedra of the C-S-H structure. XAS was further applied to determine the binding mechanism of Sn(IV) in the complex cement matrix. The second example illustrates the potential of emerging synchrotron-based X-ray micro-probe techniques for elucidating the spatial distribution and the speciation of contaminants in highly heterogeneous cementitious materials at the micro-scale. Micro X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and micro-XAS investigations were carried out on Co(II) doped hardened cement paste. These preliminary investigations reveal a highly heterogeneous spatial Co distribution. The presence of a Co(II)-hydroxide-like phase Co(OH)2 and/or Co-Al layered double hydroxide (Co-Al LDH) or Co-phyllosilicate was observed. Surprisingly, some of the initial Co(II) was partially oxidized and incorporated into a Co(III)O(OH)-like phase or a Co-phyllomanganate.

Potential of laser ablation and laser desorption mass spectrometry to characterize organic and inorganic environmental pollutants on dust particles

Stainless steel factories are known to release particles into the atmosphere. Such particulate matter contains significant amounts of heavy metals or toxic inorganic compounds and organic pollutants such as, for example, Cr(VI) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The investigation of Cr(VI) and PAHs is often complicated by the associated matrix. Organic and inorganic pollutants present in stainless steel dust particles have been investigated with the same laser microprobe mass spectrometer according to two original methodologies. These analytical methods do not require time-consuming pretreatment (extraction, solubilization) or preconcentration steps. More specifically, experiments are conducted with a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer coupled to an ArF (193 nm) or a tripled frequency Nd-YAG (355 nm) laser. Experiments at 355 nm allow the nature of the most frequently occurring Cr(III)/Cr(VI) compounds in dust particles to be identified. Examination of PAHs at 193 nm is assisted by the formation of pi-complexes with 7,7',8,8'-tetracyanoquinodimethane to prevent their evaporation in the mass spectrometer during analysis and to ensure an increase in sensitivity.