Microwave-assisted acid treatment for the mineral transformation of chrysotile as an alternative for asbestos waste management

• Published in: Environmental geochemistry and health 2024-09, Vol.46 (9), p.332, Article 332
• Main Authors: Essih, Salima, Pardo, Laura, Cecilia, Juan Antonio, dos Santos-Gómez, Lucía, Colodrero, Rosario M. P., Pozo, Manuel, Calero, Gustavo, Franco, Francisco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Asbestos; Asbestos, Serpentine - chemistry; Chrysotile; Clay; Earth and Environmental Science; Elongated structure; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Fibers; Geochemistry; Hypotheses; Magnesium; Mesothelioma; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Microwaves; Minerals; Morphology; Nitric acid; Nitric Acid - chemistry; Nitric acids; Original Paper; Pathogenicity; Pathogens; Physical characteristics; Public Health; Silica; Soil Science & Conservation; Terrestrial Pollution; Waste management; Waste Management - methods; X-Ray Diffraction
• ISSN: 0269-4042; 1573-2983; 1573-2983
• DOI: 10.1007/s10653-024-01993-6

In this work, the effect of microwave-assisted acid treatments on the morphological and crystallochemical characteristics of chrysotile fibers is investigated. A low concentration of nitric acid (0.2 N) is used to remove Mg 2+ -species located in the octahedral sheet of its structure, thereby causing a crystallo-chemical change forming a skeleton of non-crystalline amorphous silica. This skeleton maintains an elongated morphology but characterized by rounded -not sharp-edges and porous surfaces whose physical resistance under stress is reduced when compared with the initial fibers of chrysotile, favoring a lower pathogenicity of the fibers. Thus, microwave-assisted acid treatment rise as a low-cost, fast and effective option in avoiding the dangerousness associated with asbestos waste management.