Jakub Kierczak

University of Wroclaw | WROC · Instytut Nauk Geologicznych

Mining and smelting of Cu ores in the Rudawy Janowickie Mountains (southwestern Poland) from the 14th to the 16th century produced pyrometallurgical slags which currently form unconfined slag heaps in forests or are distributed within soils and streambeds. At present, the slag affected area has approximately 10 km². Chemical and mineralogical analy...

Serpentine soil is a common name for soils derived either from igneous peridotites or metamorphic serpentinites. However, differences in mineralogy of these rocks are responsible for some differences between soils occurring on peridotites and serpentinites. In this study, we analyze the mobility of Ni, Cr and Co in six serpentine sites derived from...

Organic enrichment due to human impact is one of the major threats that affect benthic communities in semi-enclosed marine ecosystems, such as the Mediterranean Sea. However, many emerging sources of organic pollutants, such as those released to nature through human practices related to esthetics and cosmetics, remain underestimated, despite being...

Background and aims Ultramafic soils constitute an extreme environment for plants because of specific physico-chemical properties and the presence of Ni, Cr, and Co. We hypothesized that type of ultramafic parent rock depending on their origin affects the composition of soils and plants. Therefore, phytoavailability of metals would be higher in soi...

Ultramafic soils are in equal parts fascinating and dangerous. Developed on rocks derived predominately from the Earth's mantle and metamorphosed at the ocean floors, ultramafic soils form in the places where tectonic forces brought these rocks from mantle depths to the surface. As it is common in nature, both ultramafic rocks and soils are site-sp...

Topsoils, soil profiles, water, and stream sediments as well as slags and rocks were analyzed to assess the extent and severity of environmental pollution resulting from historical Cu mining and smelting in the vicinity of Leszczyna, Old Copper Basin, SW Poland. Numerous tailings, smelting wastes, and Cu-rich rocks were disposed in the study area,...

Topsoils, soil profiles, water, and stream sediments as well as slags and rocks were analyzed to assess the extent and severity of environmental pollution resulting from historical Cu mining and smelting in the vicinity of Leszczyna, Old Copper Basin, SW Poland. Numerous tailings, smelting wastes, and Cu-rich rocks were disposed in the study area,...

In many countries the use of lead-based ammunition is prevalent, and results in exposure and poisoning of waterfowl and other species of birds. In waterfowl hunting areas large quantities of spent shot may be deposited in wetland and terrestrial habitats. These pellets can undergo transformations, which are influenced by various abiotic and biotic...

Amphibole- and clinopyroxene-bearing monzodiorites were emplaced at 340 Ma (CA-ID-TIMS zircon age), suggesting the formation of hydrous and dry magmas closely related in space and time in the NE Bohemian Massif. Hafnium and oxygen isotopes of zircon in less evolved rocks (<55 wt% SiO2) are similar between Amp and Cpx monzodiorites (εHf = −3.3 ± 0.5...

Previously unknown exposures of silicified serpentinites have been documented within the Szklary Massif, which is a fragment of the tectonically dismembered Central Sudetic Ophiolite (NE Bohemian Massif). On the basis of textural, mineralogical and chemical differences, two types of silicified serpentinites have been distinguished in this study (Ty...

Loess may be integrated into slope deposits at different soil depths and may influence related physical, chemical and mineralogical soil properties. Therefore, tracking the border between deposited loess and underlying materials and estimating the depth of loess penetration is a challenge. Five soils from the Lower Silesia province in south-western...

Slag particulates emitted within the flue dust from smelter stacks and/or eroded from slag disposal sites can directly influence many environmental compartments, mainly soils and vegetation. This chapter focuses on the investigations of slag particulates deposited in soil systems with an emphasis on their mineralogy, phase transformation, and envir...

Slag heaps are far from stable and evolve continuously from the time they are deposited. In the studied site (Świętochłowice, Upper Silesian Industrial Region, Poland), the major change in the slag heap has involved the formation of fine-grained strongly weathered material. Possible conditions of slag weathering, as well as any impacts of weathered...

Exploitation and further processing of mineral resources are of great importance for modern society [...]

Temperature is a crucial factor influencing the effectiveness of metal smelting process. When studied in historical slags it provides information on the evolution of smelting technologies over time and how humankind approached metal recovery. Methodological approaches to temperature reconstruction using pyrometallurgical slags vary and this study s...

Purpose The aims: (1) to investigate the role of the in situ weathering of bedrock in providing substrate for soil formation; (2) to evaluate the aeolian contribution to the mountainous soils in the vicinity of thick loess cover; and (3) to determine the influence of aeolian silt on further soil development. Materials and methods The sampled sites...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of (bio)hydrometallurgical methods for metal extraction from historical copper slags. Two types of slags (amorphous slag—AS, and crystalline slag—CS) were subjected to 24 to 48 h of leaching with: (i) Sulfuric acid at 0.1, 0.5, and 1 M concentrations at 1%, 5%, and 10% pulp densities (PDs); and...

This study investigates the scale of inheritance of signatures typical of loess- and basalt-derived substrates in soils having both components present as parent material due to past periglacial processes. Based on field description, particle size distribution, mineralogy (heavy minerals and clay minerals) as well as geochemistry we track the signal...

Slag heaps over years may evolve into complexly weathered zones, which are a challenging material for analyses as they contain phases from numerous sources and at different stages of weathering. However, the weathered zones are important parts of slag heaps, because they contain both primary and secondary phases enriched in metal(oid)s that may bec...

Historical Cu-Slags located at former industrial sites in Poland are exposed to weathering that may trigger release of metallic contaminants to the surrounding soils. However, the extent to which different metals are leached depends on the mineral composition of the slags and the conditions of their deposition. Historical slags are often crystallin...

This study was undertaken to simulate experimentally the weathering of slags disposed nearby soil rhizosphere. The aim of the research was to differentiate the effect of pH and organics on slags dissolution as well as to indicate weathering sequence of phase components. The studied slags are mainly composed of Fe (34.5 wt%) and Si (17.9 wt%) and co...

Smelting activity by its very nature produces large amounts of metal-bearing waste, often called metallurgical slag(s). In the past, industry used to dispose of these waste products at dumping sites without the appropriate environmental oversight. Once there, ongoing biogeochemical processes affect the stability of the slags and cause the release o...

Metallurgical slags disposed in the vicinity of historical industrial centers are the reason of environmental concern due to the potential release of the elements including toxic ones. This study addresses the impact of organic acids rich root exudates on the weathering of copper metallurgical slags. The simulation was made to reflect conditions en...

Metallurgical wastes are currently classified as potentially hazardous because they contain relatively high metal concentrations. That necessitates handling these residues in a cautious manner preventing the release of toxic compounds. In contrast, the former industry did not pay as much consideration to the environmental impact of industrial waste...

Soils in mountainous areas are often polygenetic, developed in slope covers that relate to glacial and periglacial activities of the Pleistocene and Holocene and reflect climatic variations. Landscape development during the Holocene may have been influenced by erosion/solifluction that often started after the Holocene climatic optimum. To trace bac...

Cadmium is a toxic element, generally highly mobile and easily transferred from Cd-bearing ore minerals to the environment as shown by numerous leaching experiments and studies of biota. However, the behaviour of Cd is less understood during smelting activities, when it is transferred from Cd-bearing ore to the metal as well as to the smelting by-p...

Metallurgical wastes displaying various chemical and mineralogical properties may reveal different behaviour under exposure to weathering conditions. The latter impact the stability of the wastes, which often results in metal release and subsequent pollution problems. The aim of this study was to compare the weathering of two types of metallurgical...

The proper reconstruction of historical architectural elements is not possible without precise knowledge of the materials used for their production. Therefore, this study presents a detailed mineralogical characterization of Baroque decorations occurring in one of the largest sacral objects in Europe (the post-Cistercian abbey in Lubiąż, South-West...

Pyrometallurgical slags resulting from historical copper industry have been disposed in Poland for a long period of time. That enabled the weathering processes to go on, especially at dump-soil interface where variety of factors including root exudates and rhizospheric microbes jointly affect the geochemical stability of the slags. The objective of...

Three types of Cu-slags differing in chemical and mineralogical composition (historical, shaft furnace, and granulated slags) and a matte from a lead recovery process were studied with respect to their susceptibility to release Cu, Zn and Pb upon exposure to organic acids commonly encountered in soil environments. Leaching experiments (24–960 h) we...

2016, VOL. 46, NO. 4, 438–440

Metal leaching from metallurgical wastes (slags) by means of environmentally friendly approaches is promising for practical applications. The goal of this study was to compare the feasibility of metal bioleaching from Cu-slags by means of bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. Two size fractions (< 0.3 mm and 1-2 mm) of...

A geochemical approach combining chemical and mineralogical studies together with pH-dependent leaching experiments was applied to carry out an environmental risk assessment analysis of copper metallurgical slags. Two groups of Cu-metallurgical slags were investigated: historical (HS) and modern slags including shaft furnace slag (SFS), granulated...

Weathering of ultrabasic rocks (peridotites and serpentinites), naturally enriched in metallic elements (e.g., Ni, Cr and Co) leads to formation of infertile serpentine soils. The main difference between igneous peridotite and metamorphic serpentinite refers to the mineralogy of these rocks while their chemical composition is very similar. Generall...

Copper ores of the largest economic importance in Poland, belong to the strata-bound type and are related to the Zechstein Kupferschifer formation. In this type of deposit Cu is associated with silicates, carbonates, and sulfides within sedimentary rocks (e.g., shales, sandstones). Currently, the exploitation of Polish Cu ores takes place in underg...

In this paper, we use a set of methods applied for geosciences to reveal the provenance of raw materials and historical aspects of technology of lime production from the post-Cistercian church (southwestern Poland). Two types of building stones (mica schists and sandstones) and two groups of mortars, related with two different construction phases (...

Two types of Cu-slags (CS: crystalline massive slag and GS: granulated amorphous slag) exhibiting various chemical and mineral phase compositions were compared with respect to their susceptibility to bacterial weathering using Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n° CIP 105094). Abiotic conditions e.g. sterile growth medium and ultrapure water were used for com...

Copper has been an essential metal for human civilization beginning from ancient times and remained indispensable for modern day cultures. Subsequently, its pyrometallurgical processing is currently well developed worldwide. Besides benefits gained from Cu production, slag by-products generation is unavoidable. Currently, slags receive significant...

Cu-slags are a by-product of pyrometallurgical processing and contain elevated concentrations of metallic elements that may be released during weathering. Hence, they may pose environmental risk and thus need to be properly disposed off. On the other hand, the high residual content of metals makes slags interesting as secondary resources for metal...

Garden soils from the vicinity of Szklary Górne and Szklary Dolne (Lower Silesia) have variable Pb iso-tope composition consistent with at least two sources of Pb contamination. The profiles from Szklary Dolne have similar Pb isotope characteristic, which can be attributed to the atmospheric contamination by mixed pollution coming from coal burning...

The present research is focused on chemical and mineralogical characterization of bottom ashes produced during coal combustion in a power plant operating in northern Poland. On the basis of these results we estimate a potential environmental hazard and try to find a possible application for studied materials. Bulk chemical composition of all studie...

Mortars and plasters from historic buildings are a legacy of the building techniques. The study of such materials allows a better understanding of the civilization development. They need to be well known and preserved. Detailed studies of these materials allow to assess their characteristics and finally design compatible repair mortars. Thus, the m...

Silicified serpentinite known as birbirite – a ferruginous and siliceous rock displaying evidence for pseudomorphic replacement of the primary minerals by silica (Lacinska, Styles 2013). Silicified serpentinite occurs in Poland only in Lower Silesia (Mikulski 2014). The aim of our study was to compare the EDTA extractability of Ni, Cr and Co in bir...

Intrusive rocks occur in several places in the Niemcza zone and they belong to two groups: dioritic and granodioritic. Dioritic magmas composition change from normal calc-alkaline to ultrapotassic, but precise times of involved in this process, as well as full chemical characteristic of different magmas occurring in the Niemcza zone are not fully c...

Analiza SWOT przeprowadzona dla masywu Szklar położonego w obrębie Wzgórz Niemczańsko-Strzelińskich wykazała, że posiada on duży potencjał geoturystyczny. Główne zalety obiektu wiążą się ze zróżnicowaną budową geologiczną oraz historią górnictwa i hutnictwa rud niklu na tym terenie. Z drugiej strony opisywany obszar charakteryzuje się kilkoma cech...

The objective of this study is to characterize alteration processes of iron chromium spinels in soils developed on serpentinites using their magnetic properties. Three pedons developed on serpentinites from two European Hercynian massifs were considered. Two soils from the central Massif (France) are formed under mild and humid climate, the third s...

This paper overviews the use of natural dimension stones, stuccoes and plasterworks in the post Cistercian Abbey complex in Lubiąż (syn. Leubus Abbey). It is a prestigious engineering work of Baroque architecture, with remnants of Romanesque and Gothic foundations, one of the largest sacral architectural complexes in the world. Geologists often con...

Slags from base metal smelting are often deposited for over 100 years with no barriers between the heap and the surrounding environment. Observations at the external surfaces of the slag heaps may not reflect the state of the slag material inside the slag heap. A slag heap from Zn-Pb ore smelting (Świętochłowice, Upper Silesia, Poland) was disturbe...

Outcrops of ultrabasic rocks and derived soils are located in Poland only in Lower Silesia region (southwestern Poland). Ultrabasic rocks and associated soils occur in the Fore Sudetic Block (e.g., Szklary Massif, Gogołów -Jordanów Massif) and in the Sudetes (e.g., Popiel Hill, Śnieżnik Massif). We examined several ultrabasic parent rocks and relat...

Introduction The geological unit called the Szklary Massif forms a chain of hills and crops out in southern part of the Fore Sudetic Block (southwestern Poland). Geological and historical evolution of this site is complex (Fig. 1) which makes it an interesting study object for wide range of scientists: from mantle petrologists to environmental geoc...

Weathering of ultrabasic rocks, naturally enriched in some trace elements (e.g., Ni and Cr) leads to the formation of soils having distinctive properties caused primarily by a specific chemical composition of parent rocks. The parent ultrabasic rocks commonly cause infertility of serpentine soils, which results from the low ratio of calcium to magn...

A slag heap after Zn-Pb ore smelting (8wi9toch:owice, Upper Silesia, Poland) was disturbed during recent slag removal and the freshly uncovered surfaces are examined in this study. The material forming the interior of the slag heap is fine grained (up to 5 cm) and strongly weathered contrary to the large slag boulders on the slag heap surface (up t...

Granites sensu lato in the Sudetes in truded in sev eral ep i sodes dur ing the Variscan orogeny recording different stages of crust and mantle evolution. Correlating precise ages with geochemistry of the Variscan granites provides infor mation on the evolution of these sources within the Variscan orogen. The Variscan in trusive rocks from the Niem...

Weathering of ultrabasic rocks naturally enriched in some trace elements, such as nickel and chromium, leads to the formation of a specific type of soils called "serpentine soils". These soils have distinctive properties caused primarily by specific chemical composition of parent rocks. Outcrops of ultramafic rocks and associated serpentine soils...

Potentially toxic metal(loid)s occurring in stream sediments may have both lithogenic and anthropogenic origins. Generally, anthropogenic sources provide larger amounts of metal(loid)s than natural ones. Thus, analysis of chemical composition of stream sediments may be used for the assessment of anthropogenic activities in a given area. High concen...

To discriminate possible anthropogenic and lithogenic sources of Pb in Lower Silesia (SW Poland), the Pb isotope composition was investigated in a spectrum of rocks and anthropogenic materials as well as within 10 soil profiles. Silicate rocks in Lower Silesia have 206Pb/207Pb ratios that vary from 1.17 for serpentinites to 1.38 for gneisses, and t...

The area of the Rudawy Janowickie Mountains located in south-western Poland represents a historical mining and smelting site. One example of metal ores exploitation in the area is in the vicinity of Janowice Wielkie and Miedzianka. In XIV century studied area was the largest center for mining and smelting of metals such as Cu, As and Ag. The exploi...

Two types of slags produced during historical smelting of Cu ores occur in the Rudawy Janowickie Mountains, southwestern Poland. The prevailing massive slag has a chemical composition dominated by FeO (up to 51 wt.%), SiO2 (up to 43 wt.%) and Al2O3 (up to 12 wt.%). It consists of silicate glass, olivine and hercynite. The second type, a porous slag...

At present, water and atmosphere is contaminated by heavy metals derived from different sources. The main challenge is to identify these sources and estimate their contributions. In environmental studies isotopic ratios of 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/206Pb are routinely used to track Pb contamination in these sources, because at the first approach, the a...

Historical slags originating from base metal smelting often contain considerable amounts of heavy metals and, when deposited, they may undergo potentially harmful interactions with surrounding soils, sediments and waters. In this study we present mineralogical and chemical characteristics of historical slags from Rudawy Janowickie Mountains (Lower...

In surface and sub-surface environment, microorganisms mediate dissolution and precipitation processes of minerals, and thus affect geochemical cycling of elements. Antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) are considered to have comparable geochemical behavior and toxicity, both are redox sensible and toxic even at low concentrations. In natural environment,...