Suppression of arsenopyrite surface oxidation by sol-gel coatings

Oxidation of arsenopyrite (FeAsS) in mine tailings is considered as the major cause of arsenic release in groundwater around mineral mine sites. Oxidation rate is increased by the biooxidation of chemolithoautotrophic bacteria, such as Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans via the adsorption mechanism. Hence, coating with thin films as a physical barrier for oxidants surrounding the mineral surface is one of the effective abatement strategies. In this work, we studied and characterized the formation of thin films using sol-gel on arsenopyrite and investigated the resistance of thin films to biological and chemical oxidations. We selected methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS), tetramethoxysilane (TMOS), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (AAPS) as sol-gel precursors. MTMOS coating arsenopyrite particles at a H2O/Si molar ratio of 2 suppressed both biological oxidation and chemical oxidation and was superior to other alkoxysilane monomers. Factors involved in oxidation suppression are the crack-free morphology and the hydrophobicity of MTMOS coating. The Si-O-Si spectrum by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) distinctly found for the MTMOS film is considered to indicate the formation of the networks of the film, and the Fe-O-Si spectrum confirmed the bonding of the film to the arsenopyrite surface.