Development of a water erosion tracer using industrial residue as a source of rare earth elements

Author(s)

Villela, Joao M. ^{[1, 2]} ; Nogueira, Andre E. ^[3] ; Ribeiro, Caue ^[1] ; Crestana, Silvio ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] EMBRAPA Brazilian Agr Res Corp, LNNA Natl Lab Nanotechnol Agrobusiness, Rua 15 Novembro 1452, BR-13560970 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos Sch Engn, Grad Program Environm Engn Sci PPG SEA, 400 Av Trabalhador Sao Carlense, BR-13566590 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Fed Univ Ouro Preto UFOP, Inst Exact & Biol Sci ICEB, Dept Chem, BR-35400000 Ouro Preto, MG - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: APPLIED CLAY SCIENCE; v. 195, SEP 15 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

This study was aimed at developing a water erosion tracer from montmorillonite (MMT) chemically modified with rare earth elements (REE) as chemical signatures to understand the landscape sediment mobilization dy-namics. A new route of development involving the use of an industrial residue from the REE extraction process was evaluated for its REE incorporation efficiency in the clay mineral to enable further tracer applications on a field scale. This industrial residue-modified MMT tracer was compared with a reference tracer based on the chemical modification of MMT with a commercial REE precursor. These REE-modified MMT tracers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N-2 physisorption measurements were performed to verify whether the MMT tracer modified with the industrial residue had the same chemical signature (REE) content and chemical stability as those of the commercial REE precursor-based tracer. Chemical stability tests under different pH conditions were carried out to evaluate possible REE content variations in the tracers, mainly over the targeted soil pH range (pH = 4.0-7.7). The clay modified with the industrial residue was further submitted to laboratory horizontal mobility tests using a soil flume. The chemical modification method was effective in producing a chemically stable MMT-based tracer that also displayed multi-chemical signature due to the use of the ClLa40-INB solution, which will potentially enhance the tracer detection in sediments. The mobility tests confirmed the suitability of the modified clay as a tracer. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/03806-1 - Water availability and quality threats in a Guarani Aquifer System outcrop zone
• Grantee: Edson Cezar Wendland
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Thematic Grants