Controls and rates of acid production in commercial-scale sulfur blocks

Acidic drainage (pH 0.4-1.0) from oxidizing elemental sulfur (S(0)) blocks is an environmental concern in regions where S(0) is stockpiled. In this study, the locations, controls, and rates of H(2)SO(4) production in commercial-scale S(0) blocks ( approximately 1-2 x 10(6) m(3)) in northern Alberta, Canada, were estimated. In situ modeling of O(2) concentrations ([O(2)]) suggest that 70 to >97% of the annual H(2)SO(4) production occurs in the upper 1 m of the blocks where temperatures increase to >15 degrees C during the summer. Laboratory experiments show that S(0) oxidation rates are sensitive to temperature (Q(10) = 4.3) and dependent on the activity of autotrophic S(0)-oxidizing microbes. The annual efflux of SO(4) in drainage water from a S(0) block (5.5 x 10(5) kg) was within the estimated range of SO(4) production within the block (2.7 x 10(5) to 1.2 x 10(6) kg), suggesting that H(2)SO(4) production and removal rates were approximately equal during the study period. The low mean relative humidity within the block (68%; SD = 17%; n = 21) was attributed to osmotic suction from elevated H(2)SO(4) concentrations and suggests a mean in situ pH of approximately -2.1. The low pH of drainage waters was attributed to the mixing of fresh infiltrating water and low-pH in situ water. Heat generation during S(0) oxidation was an important factor in maintaining elevated temperatures (mean, 11.1 degrees C) within the block. The implications of this research are relevant globally because construction methods and the physical properties of S(0) blocks are similar worldwide.