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Mineralogical Magazine; February 2008; v. 72; no. 1; p. 337-340; DOI: 10.1180/minmag.2008.072.1.337
© 2008 Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland
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Session 4: Global geochemical cycles and climate change

Phosphate mineral reactivity: from global cycles to sustainable development

E. H. Oelkers1,*, E. Valsami-Jones2 and T. Roncal-Herrero1

1 Biogéochimie et Géochimie Expérimentale, LMTG-Université Paul Sabatier-CNRS-IRD-OMP, 14 av. Edouard Belin 31400, Toulouse, France
2 Department of Mineralogy, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK

* E-mail: oelkers{at}lmtg.obs-mip.fr

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.

KEYWORDS: phosphate minerals, eutrophication, apatite, global sustainability, dissolution kinetics, precipitation rates






JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 by Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland