Composition of Gases in the Interporous Space of Technogenic Bodies

Abstract

––We present results of studies of inclusions in secondary sulfates (antlerite and a mixture of copiapite and coquimbite) and arsenates (erythrite and picropharmacolite) formed on the surface of technogenic bodies, such as stored waste from the enrichment of sulfide (Belovo and Ursk waste heaps) and arsenide (disposal maps of the Tuvakobalt plant) ores. A wide range of components were identified in the gas–liquid inclusions, the main ones being water and carbon dioxide. Hydrocarbons, oxygen-containing organic compounds, and nitrogen- and sulfur-containing gases were found in smaller but measurable amounts. Arsine H3As was also detected in inclusions in picropharmacolite (calcium and magnesium arsenate–arsenite). The gas–liquid inclusions in secondary minerals reflect the composition of the interporous space in the waste body, filled with particular atmospheric gases entering the body in free form and with seasonal precipitation. The combination of in situ generated and penetrating gases determines the diversity of inorganic and biotic interactions in technogenic bodies. The presence of hydrocarbons and oxygen-containing organic compounds is, most likely, associated with bacterial transformations of organic matter (residual vegetation, wood, microalgae, and fungi). At the same time, carbon disulfide and sulfur dioxide are indicators of active inorganic reactions of decomposition of the sulfide matrix.