Anthropogenic activities have in the past, and continue today, to pollute water and terrestrial ecosystems with metal contaminants. Discharges from abandoned base metal mines are by far the single biggest source of toxic metals such as zinc and cadmium to the aquatic environment of England and Wales, and mining is a globally important source of aquatic pollution.
Minerals, in particular iron-bearing minerals, play a major role in both releasing metals into the aqueous phase and sequestering metals from the aqueous phase in subsurface environments of the Earth System. The underpinning processes hence strongly affect the environmental fate, (bio)availability and toxicity of metal contaminants. However, we only recently showed that interactions of clay minerals, which are ubiquitous in soils and sediments, with dissolved iron (Fe(II)), which is often present at high concentrations in metal mine effluents, lead to the redox-activation of clay mineral iron and the formation of new iron mineral phase(s). Currently, the role of these processes and the resulting mineral assemblage for metal contaminant fate is unknown. This project aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of the interactions involved by addressing the above research questions and using Zn as a representative metal contaminant.
This project will be mainly laboratory based (Environmental Engineering laboratories, Newcastle University), yet make use of our Zn-impacted field site in the Lake District (Coledale Beck catchment). Key equipment and methods to be used include analytical instruments for metal analysis (ICP-OES, ICP-MS); and techniques for mineral characterization (XRD, FT-IR, Mössbauer spectroscopy). The value of further state-of-the-art methods for mineral characterization will be explored during the initial proposal development process and with prospective co-supervisors and/or external collaborators.
Skills training include cutting-edge experimentation and analytical methods in the areas of environmental chemistry, geochemistry, and mineralogy. Specific training needs will be identified and adressed in a personal training plan, which will also include transferable skills such as critical analysis and writing, and effective communication.
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