Arsenic-bearing minerals

Arsenic is widely distributed about the earth and has a terrestrial abundance of approximately 5 g/t (4). Over 150 arsenic-bearing minerals are known (1). Table 2 fists the most common minerals. The most important commercial source of arsenic, however, is as a by-product from the treatment of copper, lead, cobalt, and gold ores. The quantity of arsenic usually associated with lead and copper ores may range from a trace to 2 —3%, whereas the gold ores found in Sweden contain 7—11% arsenic. Small quantities of elemental arsenic have been found in a number of localities. 

Table 2. Naturally Occurring Arsenic-Bearing Minerals...

Czermak and Schadlsr (loc. cit.) give details of the occurrence of 27 arsenic-bearing minerals at 20 localities in the Eastern Alps. 

Table 2.5 Relatively common arsenic-bearing minerals (Klein, 2002 O Day, 2006 Mandal and Suzuki, 2002 Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002 Mozgova et al., 2005 Utsunomiya et dl., 2003 Dunn, Pecor and Newberry, 1980).

Jaganathan, J., Mohan, M.S. and Zingaro, R.A. (1986) Identification of arsenic-bearing minerals in a sample of Green River oil shale. Fuel, 65(2), 266-69. 

Stichbury M.-L., K., Bain J. G., Blowes D. W., and Gould W. D. (2000) Microbially-mediated reductive dissolution of arsenic bearing minerals in a gold mine tailings impoundment. Proc. 5th Int. Conf. Acid Rock Drainage 1, 97-103. 

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