Environmental Science & Technology 2003-05-15

EXAFS study of Sn(IV) immobilization by hardened cement paste and calcium silicate hydrates.

Isabelle Bonhoure, Erich Wieland, André M Scheidegger, Michael Ochs, Dominik Kunz

Index: Environ. Sci. Technol. 37(10) , 2184-91, (2003)

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Abstract

In this study, the immobilization mechanisms of Sn(IV) onto calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) and hardened cement paste (HCP) have been investigated by combining wet chemistry experiments with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Evidence is presented which demonstrates the formation of a Sn(IV) inner-sphere surface complex on C-S-H with a CaO/SiO2 weight ratio of 0.7. Two possible structural models, implying a corner sharing between the Sn octahedra and Q1 or Q2b Si tetrahedra, have been developed based on the experimentally determined structural parameters. In HCP, the formation of a different type of Sn(IV) inner-sphere complex has been observed, indicating that C-S-H may not be the uptake-controlling phase for Sn(IV) in the cement matrix. An alternative structural model for Sn(IV) binding in HCP has been developed, assuming that ettringite is the uptake-controlling phase. At high Sn(IV) concentrations, Sn(IV) immobilization in HCP occurs due to the formation of CaSn(OH)6.