Historical diamond mine waste reveals carbon sequestration resource in kimberlite residue

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dc.contributor.authorJones, TRen_AU
dc.contributor.authorPoitras, Jen_AU
dc.contributor.authorPaterson, DJen_AU
dc.contributor.authorSoutham, Gen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2024-11-15T03:40:55Zen_AU
dc.date.available2024-11-15T03:40:55Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2023-02en_AU
dc.date.statistics2024-11-07en_AU
dc.description.abstractMined sub-aerially stored kimberlite provided a natural laboratory in which to examine the potential for carbon sequestration in ultramafic materials. A 15 cm hand sample of ∼50-year-old ‘cemented’ coarse residue deposit (CRD) collected from a cemented surface layer in the Cullinan Diamond Mine tailings in Gauteng, South Africa, demonstrated the encouraging effects of weathering on mineral carbonation of kimberlite. The examination of petrographic sections using light microscopy, X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) and backscatter electron – energy dispersive spectroscopy demonstrated that weathering produced extensive, secondary Ca/Mg carbonates that acted as an inter-granular cement, increasing the competency of the CRD, i.e., producing a hand sample. Nearly every grain in the sample, including primary, un-weathered angular carbonate clasts were coated in secondary, μm- to mm-scale carbonate layers, which are interpreted as secondary materials. DNA analysis of an internal, aseptic sample of secondary carbonate revealed that the weathered kimberlite hosts a diverse microbiome consistent with soils, metal cycling and hydrocarbon degradation that was found within the secondary carbonate, interpreted as a biomaterial. The formation of secondary carbonate demonstrates that ‘waste kimberlite’ from diamond mining can serve as a resource for carbon sequestration. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.en_AU
dc.description.sponsorshipElectron microscopy was performed in at the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis (CMM) at the University of Queensland. X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy (XFM) was supported by ANSTO funding and performed at the XFM beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, Victoria, Australia supported by the Multi-modal Australian ScienceS Imaging and Visualisation Environment (MASSIVE) (www.massive.org.au). The authors would like to thank Prof. Sasha Wilson for acting as a scale during fieldwork. Funding was provided through De Beers Project Carbon Vault™.en_AU
dc.identifier.articlenumber121270en_AU
dc.identifier.citationJones, T. R., Poitras, J., Paterson, D., & Southam, G. (2023). Historical diamond mine waste reveals carbon sequestration resource in kimberlite residue. Chemical Geology, 617, 121270. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.121270en_AU
dc.identifier.issn0009-2541en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleChemical Geologyen_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.121270en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/handle/10238/15757en_AU
dc.identifier.volume617en_AU
dc.languageEnglishen_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherElsevieren_AU
dc.subjectHistorical aspectsen_AU
dc.subjectDiamondsen_AU
dc.subjectMinesen_AU
dc.subjectWastesen_AU
dc.subjectCarbonen_AU
dc.subjectKimberlitesen_AU
dc.subjectSouth Africaen_AU
dc.subjectMicroscopyen_AU
dc.subjectResiduesen_AU
dc.subjectElectronsen_AU
dc.subjectSpectroscopyen_AU
dc.subjectHydrocarbonsen_AU
dc.titleHistorical diamond mine waste reveals carbon sequestration resource in kimberlite residueen_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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