Anomalous content of chromium in a Cretaceous sandstone aquifer of the Bauru Basin, state of São Paulo, Brazil

Anomalous and natural concentrations of Cr6+, occasionally exceeding the permitted limit for human consumption (0.05 mg/L), have been detected in groundwater in the northwestern region of the state of São Paulo. As part of a water-rock interaction investigation, this article describes the chemical and mineralogical characterization of rock samples taken from boreholes in the municipality of Urânia, with the objective of identifying Cr-bearing minerals and determining how chromium is associated with these minerals. Rock sample analysis were performed using X-ray Fluorescence, X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, electron microprobe and sequential extraction techniques. Chemical analyses indicated that the quartzose sandstones show a geochemical anomaly of chromium, with an average content of 221 ppm, which is higher than the reported chromium content of generic sandstones (35 ppm). Diopside was identified as the primary Cr-bearing mineral potentially subject to weathering processes, with a chromium content of up to 1.2% as Cr2O3. Many of the diopside grains showed dissolution features, confirming the occurrence of weathering. Sequential extraction experiments indicated that 99.3% of the chromium in samples is tightly bonded to minerals, whereas 0.24% is weakly bonded via adsorption. Assuming hypothetically that all adsorbed chromium is released via desorption, the theoretical Cr concentration in water would be one order of magnitude higher than the concentrations of Cr6+ detected in groundwater.

Research highlights► Geochemical anomaly of chromium in quartzose sandstones. ► Chromium diopsides present dissolution features. ► Manganese oxides may oxidize Cr3+ to Cr6+. ► A small amount of adsorbed chromium may be released to groundwater.