Laser-Based Characterisation of the Copper Uranyl Sulphate, Johannite
Uranyl sulphate minerals are common alteration phases in uranium mines and uraniferous waste deposits where they occur in conjunction with other products of acidic drainage such as jarosite. Although not persistent in nature due to their high solubility, they may play an important role in governing...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Minerals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/12/11/1419 |
| _version_ | 1797467083181654016 |
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| author | Victoria L. Frankland Antoni E. Milodowski David Read |
| author_facet | Victoria L. Frankland Antoni E. Milodowski David Read |
| author_sort | Victoria L. Frankland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Uranyl sulphate minerals are common alteration phases in uranium mines and uraniferous waste deposits where they occur in conjunction with other products of acidic drainage such as jarosite. Although not persistent in nature due to their high solubility, they may play an important role in governing uranium mobility during the operational and immediate post-closure environment of an engineered radioactive waste repository where oxidising conditions prevail. One such mineral, johannite (Cu(UO<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>(OH)<sub>2</sub>·8H<sub>2</sub>O), is of particular interest given the stated intention of several countries to use copper canisters in the disposal of spent nuclear fuel. A museum reference sample of johannite has been characterised by luminescence and multiple-laser Raman spectroscopy, resulting in the first reported luminescence excitation and emission spectra for this mineral. Well-defined Raman features were observed using 785, 633, and 532 nm lasers with the resolved peaks corresponding well to the published spectra. The Raman spectrum measured with the 457 nm laser was mostly masked by a series of repeating doublets attributed to the luminescence emission features, from which band spacing values of 831 and 823 cm<sup>−1</sup> were extracted; the former corresponded to both the resolved 785 nm <i>ν</i><sub>1</sub>(UO<sub>2</sub>)<sup>2+</sup> peak position and the band spacing value obtained from the first reported luminescence emission spectrum for johannite. Four emission and nine excitation peaks were resolved from the luminescence spectra. The findings indicate that a suite of complementary laser-based techniques offer the potential for real-time characterisation of johannite formed in environments where intrusive sampling, transportation, and ‘off-site’ laboratory analysis are not feasible. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:48:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-107941abc05442a2a6d786fd2412c57b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-163X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:48:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Minerals |
| spelling | doaj.art-107941abc05442a2a6d786fd2412c57b2023-11-24T05:59:07ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2022-11-011211141910.3390/min12111419Laser-Based Characterisation of the Copper Uranyl Sulphate, JohanniteVictoria L. Frankland0Antoni E. Milodowski1David Read2School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UKSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UKSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UKUranyl sulphate minerals are common alteration phases in uranium mines and uraniferous waste deposits where they occur in conjunction with other products of acidic drainage such as jarosite. Although not persistent in nature due to their high solubility, they may play an important role in governing uranium mobility during the operational and immediate post-closure environment of an engineered radioactive waste repository where oxidising conditions prevail. One such mineral, johannite (Cu(UO<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>(OH)<sub>2</sub>·8H<sub>2</sub>O), is of particular interest given the stated intention of several countries to use copper canisters in the disposal of spent nuclear fuel. A museum reference sample of johannite has been characterised by luminescence and multiple-laser Raman spectroscopy, resulting in the first reported luminescence excitation and emission spectra for this mineral. Well-defined Raman features were observed using 785, 633, and 532 nm lasers with the resolved peaks corresponding well to the published spectra. The Raman spectrum measured with the 457 nm laser was mostly masked by a series of repeating doublets attributed to the luminescence emission features, from which band spacing values of 831 and 823 cm<sup>−1</sup> were extracted; the former corresponded to both the resolved 785 nm <i>ν</i><sub>1</sub>(UO<sub>2</sub>)<sup>2+</sup> peak position and the band spacing value obtained from the first reported luminescence emission spectrum for johannite. Four emission and nine excitation peaks were resolved from the luminescence spectra. The findings indicate that a suite of complementary laser-based techniques offer the potential for real-time characterisation of johannite formed in environments where intrusive sampling, transportation, and ‘off-site’ laboratory analysis are not feasible.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/12/11/1419uranyl sulphatetime-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopymultiple-laser Raman spectroscopy |
| spellingShingle | Victoria L. Frankland Antoni E. Milodowski David Read Laser-Based Characterisation of the Copper Uranyl Sulphate, Johannite Minerals uranyl sulphate time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy multiple-laser Raman spectroscopy |
| title | Laser-Based Characterisation of the Copper Uranyl Sulphate, Johannite |
| title_full | Laser-Based Characterisation of the Copper Uranyl Sulphate, Johannite |
| title_fullStr | Laser-Based Characterisation of the Copper Uranyl Sulphate, Johannite |
| title_full_unstemmed | Laser-Based Characterisation of the Copper Uranyl Sulphate, Johannite |
| title_short | Laser-Based Characterisation of the Copper Uranyl Sulphate, Johannite |
| title_sort | laser based characterisation of the copper uranyl sulphate johannite |
| topic | uranyl sulphate time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy multiple-laser Raman spectroscopy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/12/11/1419 |
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