Arsenopyrite and pyrite bioleaching: evidence from XPS, XRD and ICP techniques.

In this work, a multi-technical bulk and surface analytical approach was used to investigate the bioleaching of a pyrite and arsenopyrite flotation concentrate with a mixed microflora mainly consisting of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray-induced Auger electron spectroscopy mineral surfaces investigations, along with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy and carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur determination (CHNS) analyses, were carried out prior and after bioleaching. The flotation concentrate was a mixture of pyrite (FeS(2)) and arsenopyrite (FeAsS); after bioleaching, 95% of the initial content of pyrite and 85% of arsenopyrite were dissolved.

Combined use of X-ray photoelectron and Mössbauer spectroscopic techniques in the analytical characterization of iron oxidation state in amphibole asbestos.

Asbestos fibers are an important cause of serious health problems and respiratory diseases. The presence, structural coordination, and oxidation state of iron at the fiber surface are potentially important for the biological effects of asbestos because iron can catalyze the Haber-Weiss reaction, generating the reactive oxygen species *OH. Literature results indicate that the surface concentration of Fe(III) may play an important role in fiber-related radical formation.

Quantitative surface analysis of urban airborne particles by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to determine the species present in urban particulate matter collected in the city of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) and in an industrial area near to Cagliari. Samples were collected on both cellulose and glass fiber filters. Elemental identification, chemical state and quantitative analyses of the examined samples indicated the presence of Na3AlF6, SiO2 and Al2O3 in the ratio 2:2:5, carbon and oxygen being the major components.

The chemical state of arsenic in minerals of environmental interest--an XPS and an XAES study.

A systematic analytical study using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray induced Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES) has been carried out to characterize the chemical state of arsenic in complex environmental samples. The conventional approach, which relies on the chemical shift of the core levels As3d, provides ambiguous results in determining the chemical environment of arsenic. A more accurate approach, based on the Auger parameter and on the Wagner (Chemical State) plot, which combines AsLMM kinetic energy and As3d binding energy, was adopted.