Biotite reactivity in nitric and oxalic acid at low temperature and acid pH from surface and bulk dissolution measurements

International audienceThe dissolution of biotite, a trioctahedral mica, was investigated for a temperature range of 25–70 °C and a pH range of 1–3 in the presence of HNO3 (nitric acid) and H2C2O4 (oxalic acid) solutions. Single millimetric, cleaved flakes of biotite were reacted in batch and flow-through experiments to obtain kinetic information and elucidate the mechanisms that control the overall dissolution reaction under these conditions. The reacting basal surface was explored using in-situ laser confocal microscopy (LCM-DIM) and ex-situ scanning and phase shifting interferometry (VSI-PSI), while the release of tetrahedral (Al and Si), octahedral (Mg and Fe) and exchange (K) cations in solution was monitored over time. This experimental approach allowed us to calculate far-from-equilibrium dissolution rates associated with changes in topography of the (001) surface (horizontal retreat (Rstep) and vertical retreat (Rvertical)), etch pit formation and growth (Rpit) and the release of Si in solution, i.e., bulk dissolution (Rbulk,Si). In HNO3 solutions, a proton promoted reaction mechanism (PPRM), through proton adsorption on the biotite surface, was dominant. The variation of Rstep, Rvertical and Rbulk,Si accounting for the dissolution of (hk0) surfaces at different temperature and pH was used to calculate the apparent activation energy (Ea) and the proton reaction order (nH+). The respective values decreased from 63 kJ mol−1 at pH 1 to 31 kJ mol−1 at pH 3 and increased from 0.46 at 25 °C to 0.77 at 70 °C. This variability was related to the variation of proton consumption with temperature. In H2C2O4 solutions, formation and growth of etch pits on the (001) surface occurred, yielding an increase in surface roughening. Rpit accounted for the rate of etch pit development which was observed to increase, as temperature increased. Based on Rpit, relatively high Ea values (121 kJ mol−1 and 162 kJ mol−1) were associated with an early evolution of the basal etch pits, whereas lower values (36 kJ mol−1 and 56 kJ mol−1) were calculated using Rbulk,Si. The present study contributes to the interpretation of the mechanisms involved in the biotite dissolution process at highly acidic pH, in the presence of inorganic and organic acid, and low temperature (T ≤ 80 °C). Furthermore, our results highlight the importance of combining surface and bulk analyses to assess the balance between the different reactions involving proton consumption during the dissolution and its dependency on temperature, pH and organic acids concentration