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Phosphate mineral reactivity: from global cycles to sustainable development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

E. H. Oelkers*
Affiliation:
Biogéochimie et Géochimie Expérimentale, LMTG-Université Paul Sabatier-CNRS-IRD-OMP, 14 av. Edouard Belin 31400, Toulouse, France
E. Valsami-Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK
T. Roncal-Herrero
Affiliation:
Biogéochimie et Géochimie Expérimentale, LMTG-Université Paul Sabatier-CNRS-IRD-OMP, 14 av. Edouard Belin 31400, Toulouse, France

Abstract

A survey of the surface-area-normalized dissolution rates of major phosphate bearing minerals shows these rates to vary by >8 orders of magnitude with a general dissolution-rate trend sturvite > britholite ∼ fluoroapatite > variscite > monazite ∼ rhabdophane. This trend reflects the relative strength of the metal-oxygen bonds holding together the phosphate tetrahedra in the mineral structure. Due to the high surface-area-normalized reactivity of fluoroapatite, and the high surface area of natural variscite and rhabdophane, it seems likely that these minerals buffer the concentration of P and the rare-earth elements in many natural waters. As such, the solubility of these minerals plays a significant role in the global phosphorus cycle, and may potentially provide clues for future sustainable phosphorus use.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2008

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