Sorption mechanisms of zinc to calcium silicate hydrate: X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) investigation.

In this study, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy has been used to further elucidate the binding mechanisms of Zn(II) to calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), the quantitatively most important cement mineral. Such knowledge is essential for the assessment of the longterm behavior of cement-stabilized waste materials. XAFS spectra of the Zn(II) equilibrated with C-S-H(I) for up to 28 days are best modeled by tetrahedral coordination of Zn(II) by four O atoms in the first atomic shell. Beyond the first coordination shell, data analysis of more highly concentrated samples suggests the presence of two distinct Zn distances and possibly the presence of an Si shell. On the basis of the comparison with a set of reference compounds, this coordination environment can be reasonably related to the structure of hemimorphite, a naturally occurring zinc silicate, and/or the presence of gamma-Zn(OH)2. At the lowest Zn uptake, the above fitting approach failed and data could be described best with a Zn-Si and a Zn-Ca shell. Previous work has been able to show that Zn(II) diffuses into the C-S-H(I) particles and does not form discrete precipitates, so the findings appear to confirm the incorporation of Zn(II) in the interlayer of C-S-H(I).