Ferrihydrite dissolution by pyridine-2,6-bis(monothiocarboxylic acid) and hydrolysis products

Pyridine-2,6-bis(monothiocarboxylate) (pdtc), a metabolic product of microorganisms, including Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas stutzeri was investigated for its ability of dissolve Fe(III)(hydr)oxides at pH 7.5. Concentration dependent dissolution of ferrihydrite under anaerobic environment showed saturation of the dissolution rate at the higher concentration of pdtc. The surface controlled ferrihydrite dissolution rate was determined to be 1.2 × 10⁻⁶ mol m⁻² h⁻¹. Anaerobic dissolution of ferrihydrite by pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid or dipicolinic acid (dpa), a hydrolysis product of pdtc, was investigated to study the mechanism(s) involved in the pdtc facilitated ferrihydrite dissolution. These studies suggest that pdtc dissolved ferrihydrite using a reduction step, where dpa chelates the Fe reduced by a second hydrolysis product, H₂S. Dpa facilitated dissolution of ferrihydrite showed very small increase in the Fe dissolution when the concentration of external reductant, ascorbate, was doubled, suggesting the surface dynamics being dominated by the interactions between dpa and ferrihydrite. Greater than stoichiometric amounts of Fe were mobilized during dpa dissolution of ferrihydrite assisted by ascorbate and cysteine. This is attributed to the catalytic dissolution of Fe(III)(hydr)oxides by the in situ generated Fe(II) in the presence of a complex former, dpa.     

Chemical treatments for mobilizing arsenic from contaminated aquifer solids to accelerate remediation

Arsenic is a prevalent contaminant at US Superfund sites where remediation by pump and treat systems is often complicated by slow desorption of As from Fe and Al (hydr)oxides in aquifer solids. Chemical amendments that either compete with As for sorption sites or dissolve Fe and Al (hydr)oxides can increase As mobility and improve pump and treat remediation efficiency. The goal of this work was to determine optimal amendments for improving pump and treat at As contaminated sites such as the Vineland Chemical Co. Superfund site in southern New Jersey. Extraction and column experiments were performed using As contaminated aquifer solids (81 ± 1 mg/kg), site groundwater, and either phosphate (NaH₂PO₄·H₂O) or oxalic acid (C₂H₂O₄·2H₂O). In extraction experiments, phosphate mobilized between 11% and 94% of As from the aquifer solids depending on phosphate concentration and extraction time (1 mM–1 M; 1–24 h) and oxalic acid mobilized between 38% and 102% depending on oxalic acid concentration and extraction time (1–400 mM; 1–24 h). In column experiments, phosphate additions induced more As mobilization in the first few pore volumes but oxalic acid was more effective at mobilizing As overall and at lower amendment concentrations. At the end of the laboratory column experiments, 48% of As had been mobilized from the aquifer sediments with 100 mM phosphate and 88% had been mobilized with 10 mM oxalic acid compared with 5% with ambient groundwater alone. Furthermore, simple extrapolations based on pore volumes suggest that chemical treatments could lower the time necessary for clean up at the Vineland site from 600 a with ambient groundwater alone to potentially as little as 4 a with 10 mM oxalic acid.     

Arsenic attenuation in tailings at a former Cu–W–As mine,SW Finland

Nearly half a century after mine closure, release of As from the Ylöjärvi Cu–W–As mine tailings in groundwater and surface water run-off was observed. Investigations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), synchrotron-based micro-X-ray diffraction (μ-XRD), micro-X-ray absorption near edge structure (μ-XANES) and micro-extended X-ray absorption fine structure (μ-EXAFS) spectroscopy, and a sequential extraction procedure were performed to assess As attenuation mechanisms in the vadose zone of this tailings deposit. Results of SEM, EMPA, and sequential extractions indicated that the precipitation of As bearing Fe(III) (oxy)hydroxides (up to 18.4 wt.% As₂O₅) and Fe(III) arsenates were important secondary controls on As mobility. The μ-XRD, μ-XANES and μ-EXAFS analyses suggested that these phases correspond to poorly crystalline and disordered As-bearing precipitates, including arsenical ferrihydrite, scorodite, kaňkite, and hydrous ferric arsenate (HFA). The pH within 200 cm of the tailings surface averaged 5.7, conditions which favor the precipitation of ferrihydrite. Poorly crystalline Fe(III) arsenates are potentially unstable over time, and their transformation to ferrihydrite, which contributes to As uptake, has potential to increase the As adsorption capacity of the tailings. Arsenic mobility in tailings pore water at the Ylöjärvi mine will depend on continued arsenopyrite oxidation, dissolution or transformation of secondary Fe(III) arsenates, and the As adsorption capacity of Fe(III) (oxy)hydroxides within this tailings deposit.     

Characterization of Fe(III) (hydr)oxides in arsenic contaminated soil under various redox conditions by XAFS and Mössbauer spectroscopies

Characterization of Fe(III) (hydr)oxides in soils near the Ichinokawa mine was conducted using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and Mössbauer spectroscopies, and the structural changes were correlated with the release of As into pore-water. The Eh values decreased monotonically with depth. Iron is mainly present as poorly-ordered Fe(III) (hydr)oxides, such as ferrihydrite, over a wide redox range (from Eh = 360 to −140 mV). Structural details of the short-range order of these Fe(III) (hydr)oxides were examined using Mössbauer spectroscopy by comparing the soil phases with synthesized ferrihydrite samples having varying crystallinities. The crystallinity of the soil Fe (hydr)oxides decreased slightly with depth and Eh. Thus, within the redox range of this soil profile, ferrihydrite dominated, even under very reducing conditions, but the crystalline domain size, and, potentially, particle size, changed with the variation in Eh. In the soil–water system examined here, where As concentration and the As(III)/As(V) ratio in soil water increased with depth, ferrihydrite persisted and maintained or even enhanced its capacity for As retention with increased reducing conditions. Therefore, it is concluded that As release from these soils largely depends on the transformation of As(V) to As(III) rather than reductive dissolution of Fe(III) (hydr)oxide.     

Aluminum coprecipitates with Fe (hydr)oxides: Does isomorphous substitution of Al for Fe in goethite occur?

Iron (hydr)oxides are common in natural environments and typically contain large amounts of impurities, presumably the result of coprecipitation processes. Coprecipitation of Al with Fe (hydr)oxides occurs, for example, during alternating reduction-oxidation cycles that promote dissolution of Fe from Fe-containing phases and its re-precipitation as Fe-Al (hydr)oxides. We used chemical and spectroscopic analyses to study the formation and transformation of Al coprecipitates with Fe (hydr)oxides. In addition, periodic density functional theory (DFT) computations were performed to assess the structural and energetic effects of isolated or clustered Al atoms at 8 and 25 mol% Al substitution in the goethite structure. Coprecipitates were synthesized by raising the pH of dilute homogeneous solutions containing a range of Fe and Al concentrations (100% Fe to 100% Al) to 5. The formation of ferrihydrite in initial suspensions with ?20 mol% Al, and of ferrihydrite and gibbsite in initial suspensions with ?25 mol% Al was confirmed by infrared spectroscopic and synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction analyses. While base titrations showed a buffer region that corresponded to the hydrolysis of Fe in initial solutions with ?25 mol% Al, all of the Al present in these solutions was retained by the solid phases at pH 5, thus indicating Al coprecipitation with the primary Fe hydroxide precipitate. In contrast, two buffer regions were observed in solutions with ?30 mol% Al (at pH ∼2.25 for Fe³⁺ and at pH ∼4 for Al³⁺), suggesting the formation of Fe and Al (hydr)oxides as two separate phases. The Al content of initial coprecipitates influenced the extent of ferrihydrite transformation and of its transformation products as indicated by the presence of goethite, hematite and/or ferrihydrite in aged suspensions. DFT experiments showed that: (i) optimized unit cell parameters for Al-substituted goethites (8 and 25 mol% Al) in clustered arrangement (i.e., the formation of diaspore-like clusters) were in good agreement with available experimental data whereas optimized unit cell parameters for isolated Al atoms were not, and (ii) Al-substituted goethites with Al in diaspore-like clusters resulted in more energetically favored structures. Combined experimental and DFT results are consistent with the coprecipitation of Al with Fe (hydr)oxides and with the formation of diaspore-like clusters, whereas DFT results suggest isomorphous Al for Fe substitution within goethite is unlikely at ?8 mol% Al substitution.     

Iron speciation and isotope fractionation during silicate weathering and soil formation in an alpine glacier forefield chronosequence

The chemical weathering of primary Fe-bearing minerals, such as biotite and chlorite, is a key step of soil formation and an important nutrient source for the establishment of plant and microbial life. The understanding of the relevant processes and the associated Fe isotope fractionation is therefore of major importance for the further development of stable Fe isotopes as a tracer of the biogeochemical Fe cycle in terrestrial environments. We investigated the Fe mineral transformations and associated Fe isotope fractionation in a soil chronosequence of the Swiss Alps covering 150 years of soil formation on granite. For this purpose, we combined for the first time stable Fe isotope analyses with synchrotron-based Fe-EXAFS spectroscopy, which allowed us to interpret changes in Fe isotopic composition of bulk soils, size fractions, and chemically separated Fe pools over time in terms of weathering processes. Bulk soils and rocks exhibited constant isotopic compositions along the chronosequence, whereas soil Fe pools in grain size fractions spanned a range of 0.4‰ in δ⁵⁶Fe. The clay fractions (<2 μm), in which newly formed Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides contributed up to 50% of the total Fe, were significantly enriched in light Fe isotopes, whereas the isotopic composition of silt and sand fractions, containing most of the soil Fe, remained in the range described by biotite/chlorite samples and bulk soils. Iron pools separated by a sequential extraction procedure covered a range of 0.8‰ in δ⁵⁶Fe. For all soils the lightest isotopic composition was observed in a 1 M NH₂OH-HCl-25% acetic acid extract, targeting poorly-crystalline Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides, compared with easily leachable Fe in primary phyllosilicates (0.5 M HCl extract) and Fe in residual silicates. The combination of the Fe isotope measurements with the speciation data obtained by Fe-EXAFS spectroscopy permitted to quantitatively relate the different isotope pools forming in the soils to the mineral weathering reactions which have taken place at the field site. A kinetic isotope effect during the Fe detachment from the phyllosilicates was identified as the dominant fractionation mechanism in young weathering environments, controlling not only the light isotope signature of secondary Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides but also significantly contributing to the isotope signature of plants. The present study further revealed that this kinetic fractionation effect can persist over considerable reaction advance during chemical weathering in field systems and is not only an initial transient phenomenon.     

Synthetic coprecipitates of exopolysaccharides and ferrihydrite. Part I: Characterization

Iron(III) (hydr)oxides formed at extracellular biosurfaces or in the presence of exopolymeric substances of microbes and plants may significantly differ in their structural and physical properties from their inorganic counterparts. We synthesized ferrihydrite (Fh) in solutions containing acid polysaccharides [polygalacturonic acid (PGA), alginate, xanthan] and compared its properties with that of an abiotic reference by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, gas adsorption (N₂, CO₂), X-ray absorption spectroscopy, ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, and electrophoretic mobility measurements. The coprecipitates formed contained up to 37 wt% polymer. Two-line Fh was the dominant mineral phase in all precipitates. The efficacy of polymers to precipitate Fh at neutral pH was higher for polymers with more carboxyl C (PGA ∼ alginate > xanthan). Pure Fh had a specific surface area of 300 m²/g; coprecipitation of Fh with polymers reduced the detectable mineral surface area by up to 87%. Likewise, mineral micro- (<2 nm) and mesoporosity (2-10 nm) decreased by up to 85% with respect to pure Fh, indicative of a strong aggregation of Fh particles by polymers in freeze-dried state. C-1s STXM images showed the embedding of Fh particles in polymer matrices on the micrometer scale. Iron EXAFS spectroscopy revealed no significant changes in the local coordination of Fe(III) between pure Fh and Fh contained in PGA coprecipitates. ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra of coprecipitates confirmed Fh as dominant mineral phase with a slightly reduced particle size and crystallinity of coprecipitate-Fh compared to pure Fh and/or a limited magnetic super-exchange between Fh particles in the coprecipitates due to magnetic dilution by the polysaccharides. The pH_iep of pure Fh in 0.01 M NaClO₄ was 7.1. In contrast, coprecipitates of PGA and alginate had a pH_iep < 2. Considering the differences in specific surface area, porosity, and net charge between the coprecipitates and pure Fh, composites of exopolysaccharides and Fe(III) (hydr)oxides are expected to differ in their geochemical reactivity from pure Fe(III) (hydr)oxides, even if the minerals have a similar crystallinity.     

Electronic structures of iron(III) and manganese(IV) (hydr)oxide minerals: Thermodynamics of photochemical reductive dissolution in aquatic environments

Sunlight-induced reduction and dissolution of colloidal Fe-Mn (hydr)oxide minerals yields elevated concentrations of Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ in natural waters. Since these elements may be biolimiting micronutrients, photochemical reactions might play a significant role in biogeochemical cycles. Reductive photodissolution of Fe (hydr)oxide minerals may also release sorbed metals. The reactivity of Fe-Mn (hydr)oxide minerals to sunlight-induced photochemical dissolution is determined by the electronic structure of the mineral-water interface. In this work, oxygen K-edge absorption and emission spectra were used to determine the electronic structures of iron(III) (hydr)oxides (hematite, goethite, lepidocrocite, akaganeite and schwertmannite) and manganese(IV) oxides (pyrolusite, birnessite, cryptomelane). The band gaps in the iron(III) (hydr)oxide minerals are near 2.0-2.5 eV; the band gaps in the manganese (IV) oxide phases are 1.0-1.8 eV. Using published values for the electrochemical flat-band potential for hematite together with experimental pH_pzc values for the (hydr)oxides, it is possible to predict the electrochemical potentials of the conduction and valence bands in aqueous solutions as a function of pH. The band potentials enable semiquantitative predictions of the susceptibilities of these minerals to photochemical dissolution in aqueous solutions. At pH 2 (e.g., acid-mine waters), photoreduction of iron(III) (hydr)oxides could yield millimolal concentrations of aqueous Fe²⁺ (assuming surface detachment of Fe²⁺ is not rate limiting). In seawater (pH 8.3), however, the direct photo-reduction of colloidal iron(III) (hydr)oxides to give nanomolal concentrations of dissolved, uncomplexed, Fe²⁺ is not thermodynamically feasible. This supports the hypothesis that the apparent photodissolution of iron(III) (hydr)oxides in marines systems results from Fe³⁺ reduction by photochemically produced superoxide. In contrast, the direct photoreduction of manganese oxides should be energetically feasible at pH 2 and 8.3.     

Iron-hydroxide, iron-sulfate and hydrous-silica coatings in acid-mine tailings facilities: A comparative study of their trace-element composition

Surface alteration-layers often coat minerals in acid-mine drainage systems and the characterization of their chemical composition is required to understand the uptake or release of potentially toxic elements. Samples with micrometer-thick rock coatings were collected from bedrock in contact with three acidic tailings ponds and a small lake, all located within the Copper Cliff mine tailings disposal area in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Distribution and concentration of trace-metals in the rock coatings were characterized with Laser-Ablation Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy and Micro X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy. The rock coatings are composed of goethite, ferrihydrite, schwertmannite, jarosite and amorphous silica. The latter phase is a product of the non-stoichiometric weathering of the underlying siliceous rock. Layers within the coatings are distinguished on the basis of their atomic Fe:Si ratios: FeO_x coatings have Fe:Si > 4:1, Si-FeO_x coatings have Fe:Si = 4:1 to 1:1 and SiO_x coatings have Si > Fe. Iron-rich coatings (FeO_x) in contact with acidic tailings ponds (pH < 3.5) have lower trace-metal concentrations than their Si-rich counterparts, whereas FeO_x in contact with lake water at near neutral pH have similar trace-metal concentrations than Si-FeO_x and SiO_x, most likely the result of higher adsorption rates of metals at near neutral pH conditions. High trace-metal concentrations in Si-FeO_x and SiO_x are explained by the presence of jarosite-group minerals, which formed within Si-rich alteration layers through mixing of leached alkaline cations and trace elements from the underlying rock and Fe³⁺-sulfate solutions from the pond. Calculated enrichment factors for trace metals and metalloids in the coatings (relative to the pond) indicate that the mobility for Pb, As, Cr and Cu in the upper part of tailings ponds is commonly lower than the mobility for Zn, Mn, Co and Ni. The environmental significance of these findings is discussed in terms of the attenuation of trace metals in the coatings and the widespread occurrences of silica gels and jarosite-group minerals.     

Mineralogical,geochemical, and microbial investigation of a sulfide-rich tailings deposit characterized by neutral drainage

Mineralogical, geochemical and microbial characterization of tailings solids from the Greens Creek Mine, Juneau, Alaska, was performed to evaluate mechanisms controlling aqueous geochemistry of near-neutral pH pore water and drainage. Core samples of the tailings were collected from five boreholes ranging from 7 to 26 m in depth. The majority of the 51 samples (77%) were collected from the vadose zone, which can extend >18 m below the tailings surface. Mineralogical investigation indicates that the occurrence of sulfide minerals follows the general order: pyrite [FeS₂] >> sphalerite [(Zn,Fe)S] > galena [PbS], tetrahedrite [(Fe,Zn,Cu,Ag)₁₂Sb₄S₁₃] > arsenopyrite [FeAsS] and chalcopyrite [CuFeS₂]. Pyrite constitutes <20 to >35 wt.% of the tailings mineral assemblage, whereas dolomite [CaMg(CO₃)₂] and calcite [CaCO₃] are present at ?30 and 3 wt.%, respectively. The solid-phase geochemistry generally reflects the mineral assemblage. The presence of additional trace elements, including Cd, Cr, Co, Mo, Ni, Se and Tl, is attributed to substitution into sulfide phases. Results of acid–base accounting (ABA) underestimated both acid-generating potential (AP) and neutralization potential (NP). Recalculation of AP and NP based on solid-phase geochemistry and quantitative mineralogy yielded more representative results. Neutrophilic S-oxidizing bacteria (nSOB) and SO₄-reducing bacteria (SRB) are present with populations up to 10⁷ and 10⁵ cells g⁻¹, respectively. Acidophilic S-oxidizing bacteria (aSOB) and iron-reducing bacteria (IRB) were generally less abundant. Primary influences on aqueous geochemistry are sulfide oxidation and carbonate dissolution at the tailings surface, gypsum precipitation–dissolution reactions, as well as Fe reduction below the zone of sulfide oxidation. Pore-water pH values generally ranged from 6.5 to 7.5 near the tailings surface, and from approximately 7–8 below the oxidation zone. Elevated concentrations of dissolved SO₄, S₂O₃, Fe, Zn, As, Sb and Tl persisted under these conditions.     

Coordination chemistry and hydrolysis of Fe(III) in a peat humic acid studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy

The speciation of iron (Fe) in soils, sediments and surface waters is highly dependent on chemical interactions with natural organic matter (NOM). However, the molecular structure and hydrolysis of the Fe species formed in association with NOM is still poorly described. In this study extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy was used to determine the coordination chemistry and hydrolysis of Fe(III) in solution of a peat humic acid (5010-49,200 μg Fe g⁻¹ dry weight, pH 3.0-7.2). Data were analyzed by both conventional EXAFS data fitting and by wavelet transforms in order to facilitate the identification of the nature of backscattering atoms. Our results show that Fe occurs predominantly in the oxidized form as ferric ions and that the speciation varies with pH and Fe concentration. At low Fe concentrations (5010-9920 μg g⁻¹; pH 3.0-7.2) mononuclear Fe(III)-NOM complexes completely dominates the speciation. The determined bond distances for the Fe(III)-NOM complexes are similar to distances obtained for Fe(III) complexed by desferrioxamine B and oxalate indicating the formation of a five-membered chelate ring structure. At higher Fe concentrations (49,200 μg g⁻¹; pH 4.2-6.9) we detect a mixture of mononuclear Fe(III)-NOM complexes and polymeric Fe(III) (hydr)oxides with an increasing amount of Fe(III) (hydr)oxides at higher pH. However, even at pH 6.9 and a Fe concentration of 49,200 μg g⁻¹ our data indicates that a substantial amount of the total Fe (>50%) is in the form of organic complexes. Thus, in environments with significant amounts of organic matter organic Fe complexes will be of great importance for the geochemistry of Fe. Furthermore, the formation of five-membered chelate ring structures is in line with the strong complexation and limited hydrolytic polymerization of Fe(III) in our samples and also agrees with EXAFS derived structures of Fe(III) in organic soils.     

Arsenic and iron speciation in uranium mine tailings using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

In northern Saskatchewan, Canada, high-grade U ores and the resulting tailings can contain high levels of As. An environmental concern in the U mining industry is the long-term stability of As within tailings management facilities (TMFs) and its potential transfer to the surrounding groundwater. To mitigate this problem, U mill effluents are neutralized with lime to reduce the aqueous concentration of As. This results in the formation of predominantly Fe³⁺–As⁵⁺ secondary mineral phases, which act as solubility controls on the As in the tailings discharged to the TMF. Because the speciation of As in natural systems is critical for determining its long-term environmental fate, characterization of As-bearing mineral phases and complexes within the deposited tailings is required to evaluate its potential transformation, solubility, and long-term stability within the tailings mass. In this study, synchrotron-based bulk X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was used to study the speciation of As and Fe in mine tailings samples obtained from the Deilmann TMF at Key Lake, Saskatchewan. Comparisons of K-edge X-ray absorption spectra of tailings samples and reference compounds indicate the dominant oxidation states of As and Fe in the mine tailings samples are +5 and +3, respectively, largely reflecting their generation in a highly oxic mill process, deposition in an oxidized environment, and complexation within stable oxic phases. Linear combination fit analyses of the K-edges for the Fe X-ray absorption near edge spectra (XANES) to reference compounds suggest Fe is predominantly present as ferrihydrite with some amount of the primary minerals pyrite (8–15% in some samples) and chalcopyrite (5–15% in some samples). Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis of As K-edge spectra indicates that As⁵⁺ (arsenate) present in tailings samples is adsorbed to the ferrihydrite though an inner-sphere bidentate linkage.     

Effect of citrate on the local Fe coordination in ferrihydrite, arsenate binding, and ternary arsenate complex formation

In oxic environments contaminated with arsenate (As(V)), small polyhydroxycarboxylates such as citrate may impact the structure of precipitating ferrihydrite (Fh) and thus the surface speciation of As(V). In this study, ‘2-line’ Fh was precipitated from ferric nitrate solutions that were neutralized to pH 6.5 in the presence of increasing citrate concentrations and in the absence or presence of As(V). The initial citrate/Fe and As/Fe ratios were 0-50 mol% and 5 mol%, respectively. The reaction products, enriched with up to 0.32 mol citrate per mole Fe, were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Fe and As K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Citrate decreased the particle size of Fh by impairing the polymerization of Fe(O,OH)₆ octahedra via edge and corner linkages. In the presence of citrate and As(V), coordination numbers of Fe decreased by up to 28% relative to pure Fh. Citrate significantly reduced the static disorder of Fe-O bonds, implying a decreased octahedral distortion in Fh. Mean bond distances in Fh were not affected by citrate and remained constant within error at 1.98 Å for Fe-O, 3.03 Å for Fe-Fe1, and 3.45 Å for Fe-Fe2. Likewise, citrate had no effect on the As-Fe (3.31 Å) bond distance in As(V) coprecipitated with Fh. The As K-edge EXAFS data comply with the formation of (i) only monodentate binuclear (²C) As(V) surface complexes and (ii) combinations of ²C, monodentate mononuclear (¹V), and outersphere As(V) surface complexes. Our results suggest that increasing citrate concentrations led to a decreasing ¹V/²C ratio and/or that citrate increasingly impaired the formation of outersphere As(V) complexes. Moreover, citrate stabilized colloidal suspensions of Fh (pH 4.3-6.6, I ∼0.45 M) and reduced Fh formation at the expense of soluble Fe(III)-citrate complexes. At initial citrate/Fe ratios ?25 mol%, between 8% and 41% of total Fe was bound in Fe(III)-citrate complexes after Fh formation. Polynuclear Fe(III)-citrate species were found to bind As(V) via surface complexes indistinguishable by EXAFS from those of As(V) adsorbed to or coprecipitated with Fh. Our study implies that low molecular weight polyhydroxycarboxylates may enhance the mobility of As(V) in aqueous systems of high ionic strength (e.g., neutralizing acid mine drainage) by colloidal stabilization of suspended Fh particles and the formation of ternary As(V) complexes.     

Mobilization of arsenic and iron from Red River floodplain sediments, Vietnam

Sediments from the Red River and from an adjacent floodplain aquifer were investigated with respect to the speciation of Fe and As in the solid phase, to trace the diagenetic changes in the river sediment upon burial into young aquifers, and the related mechanisms of arsenic release to the groundwater. Goethite with subordinate amounts of hematite were, using Mössbauer spectroscopy, identified as the iron oxide minerals present in both types of sediment. The release kinetics of Fe, As, Mn and PO₄ from the sediment were investigated in leaching experiments with HCl and 10 mM ascorbic acid, both at pH 3. From the river sediments, most of the Fe and As was mobilized by reductive dissolution with ascorbic acid while HCl released very little Fe and As. This suggests As to be associated with an Fe-oxide phase. For oxidized aquifer sediment most Fe was mobilized by ascorbic acid but here not much As was released. However, the reduced aquifer sediments contained a large pool of Fe(II) and As that is readily leached by HCl, probably derived from an unidentified authigenic Fe(II)-containing mineral which incorporates As as well. Extraction with ascorbic acid indicates that the river sediments contain both As(V) and As(III), while the reduced aquifer sediment almost exclusively releases As(III). The difference in the amount of Fe(II) leached from river and oxidized aquifer sediments by ascorbic acid and HCl, was attributed to reductive dissolution of Fe(III). The reactivity of this pool of Fe(III) was quantified by a rate law and compared to that of synthetic iron oxides. In the river mud, Fe(III) had a reactivity close to that of ferrihydrite, while the river sand and oxidized aquifer sediment exhibited a reactivity ranging from lepidocrocite or poorly crystalline goethite to hematite. Mineralogy by itself appears to be a poor predictor of the iron oxide reactivity in natural samples using the reactivity of synthetic Fe-oxides as a reference. Sediments were incubated, both unamended and with acetate added, and monitored for up to 2 months. The river mud showed the fastest release of both Fe and As, while the effect of acetate addition was minor. This suggests that the presence of reactive organic carbon is not rate limiting. In the case of the river and aquifer sediments, the release of Fe and As was always stimulated by acetate addition and here reactive organic carbon was clearly the rate limiting factor. The reduced aquifer sediment apparently can sustain slower but prolonged microbially-driven release of As. The highly reactive pools of Fe(III) and As in the river mud could be due to reoxidation of As and Fe contained in the reducing groundwater from the floodplain aquifers that are discharging into the river. Deposition of the suspended mud on the floodplain during high river stages is proposed to be a major flux of As onto the floodplain and into the underlying aquifers.     

Experimental study of germanium adsorption on goethite and germanium coprecipitation with iron hydroxide: X-ray absorption fine structure and macroscopic characterization

Adsorption of germanium on goethite was studied at 25 °C in batch reactors as a function of pH (1-12), germanium concentration in solution (10⁻⁷ to 0.002 M) and solid/solution ratio (1.8-17 g/L). The maximal surface site density determined via Ge adsorption experiments at pH from 6 to 10 is equal to 2.5 ± 0.1 μmol/m². The percentage of adsorbed Ge increases with pH at pH < 9, reaches a maximum at pH ∼ 9 and slightly decreases when pH is further increased to 11. These results allowed generation of a 2-pK Surface Complexation Model (SCM) which implies a constant capacitance of the electric double layer and postulates the presence of two Ge complexes, and , at the goethite-solution interface. Coprecipitation of Ge with iron oxy(hydr)oxides formed during Fe(II) oxidation by atmospheric oxygen or by Fe(III) hydrolysis in neutral solutions led to high Ge incorporations in solid with maximal Ge/Fe molar ratio close to 0.5. The molar Ge/Fe ratio in precipitated solid is proportional to that in the initial solution according to the equation (Ge/Fe)_solid = k × (Ge/Fe)_solution with 0.7 ? k ? 1.0. The structure of adsorbed and coprecipitated Ge complexes was further characterized using XAFS spectroscopy. In agreement with previous data on oxyanions adsorption on goethite, bi-dentate bi-nuclear surface complexes composed of tetrahedrally coordinated Ge attached to the corners of two adjacent Fe octahedra represent the dominant contribution to the EXAFS signal. Coprecipitated samples with Ge/Fe molar ratios >0.1, and samples not aged in solution (<1 day) having intermediate Ge/Fe ratios (0.01-0.1) show 4 ± 0.3 oxygen atoms at 1.76 ± 0.01 Å around Ge. Samples less concentrated in Ge (0.001 < Ge/Fe < 0.10) and aged longer times in solution (up to 280 days) exhibit a splitting of the first atomic shell with Ge in both tetrahedral (R = 1.77 ± 0.02 Å) and octahedral (R = 1.92 ± 0.03 Å) coordination with oxygen. In these samples, octahedrally coordinated Ge accounts for up to ∼20% of the total Ge. For the least concentrated samples (Ge/Fe < 0.001-0.0001) containing lepidocrocite, 30-50% of total co-precipitated germanium substitutes for Fe in octahedral sites with the next-nearest environment dominated by edge-sharing GeO₆-FeO₆ linkages (R_Ge-Fe ∼ 3.06 Å). It follows from the results of our study that the largest structural change of Ge (from tetrahedral to octahedral environment) occurs during its coprecipitation with Fe hydroxide at Ge/Fe molar ratio ?0.0001. These conditions are likely to be met in many superficial aquatic environments at the contact of anoxic groundwaters with surficial oxygenated solutions. Adsorption and coprecipitation of Ge with solid Fe oxy(hydr)oxides and organo-mineral colloids and its consequence for Ge/Si fractionation and Ge geochemical cycle are discussed.     

Release of arsenic associated with the reduction and transformation of iron oxides

The behaviour of trace amounts of arsenate coprecipitated with ferrihydrite, lepidocrocite and goethite was studied during reductive dissolution and phase transformation of the iron oxides using [⁵⁵Fe]- and [⁷³As]-labelled iron oxides. The As/Fe molar ratio ranged from 0 to 0.005 for ferrihydrite and lepidocrocite and from 0 to 0.001 for goethite. For ferrihydrite and lepidocrocite, all the arsenate remained associated with the surface, whereas for goethite only 30% of the arsenate was desorbable. The rate of reductive dissolution in 10 mM ascorbic acid was unaffected by the presence of arsenate for any of the iron oxides and the arsenate was not reduced to arsenite by ascorbic acid. During reductive dissolution of the iron oxides, arsenate was released incongruently with Fe²⁺ for all the iron oxides. For ferrihydrite and goethite, the arsenate remained adsorbed to the surface and was not released until the surface area became too small to adsorb all the arsenate. In contrast, arsenate preferentially desorbs from the surface of lepidocrocite. During Fe²⁺ catalysed transformation of ferrihydrite and lepidocrocite, arsenate became bound more strongly to the product phases. X-ray diffractograms showed that ferrihydrite was transformed into lepidocrocite, goethite and magnetite whereas lepidocrocite either remained untransformed or was transformed into magnetite. The rate of recrystallization of ferrihydrite was not affected by the presence of arsenate. The results presented here imply that during reductive dissolution of iron oxides in natural sediments there will be no simple correlation between the release of arsenate and Fe²⁺. Recrystallization of the more reactive iron oxides into more crystalline phases, induced by the appearance of Fe²⁺ in anoxic aquifers, may be an important trapping mechanism for arsenic.     

Aqueous and solid phase arsenic speciation in the sediments of a contaminated wetland and riverbed

Mobility of As in the environment is controlled by its association with solid phases through adsorption and co-precipitation. To elucidate the mobilization potential of As deposited in wetland and riverbed sediments of the Wells G & H wetland in Woburn, MA as the result of decades of industrial activity, As retention mechanisms were inferred from aqueous and solid phase geochemical measurements of sediment cores. Testing included a sequential extraction method designed for and standard-tested with As phases and pE/pH equilibrium modeling. The uppermost sediments in the Wells G & H wetland contain elevated concentrations of both dissolved and solid phase As (up to 2,000 μg/L and 15,000 μg/g, respectively) and a maximum concentration between 30 and 40 cm depth. Measurements obtained in this study suggested that As in the wetland sediments was predominantly adsorbed, likely onto amorphous Fe (hydr)oxide phases and mixed valence Fe phases. In the riverbed sediments, however, a relatively greater proportion of the solid As was associated with more reduced and crystalline phases, and adsorbed As was more likely associated with Al oxide or secondary reduced Fe phases. pH–pe modeling of the Fe–As–S system was consistent with observations. The association of As with more oxidized phases in the wetland compared with the riverbed sediments may result from a combination of plant activities, including evapotranspiration-driven water table depression and/or root oxygenation.     

Effects of desferrioxamine-B on the release of arsenic from volcanic rocks

Microorganisms play an important role in As mobilization into groundwater by directly influencing As speciation or indirectly inducing solubilisation from As-bearing phases, such as Fe, Mn and Al oxides. Iron oxide dissolution could also be induced by siderophores, small-molecule compounds produced by microorganisms to favour Fe uptake. Well waters exceeding the potable water limit of 10 μg As L⁻¹ (0.133 μM) have been widely reported in geothermal areas. Mechanisms responsible for these high As concentrations have not yet been thoroughly elucidated and the complexity of As mobilization in volcanic aquifers is still open to multiple interpretations. The present study was based on batch release experiments aimed at verifying and quantifying the effect of siderophores on As mobilization from volcanic rocks (lava, tuff, peperino and fallout deposit) at different pH and ligand concentration. In the experiments the siderophore trihydroxamate desferroxamine B (Dfob) was used and its effect on As release from volcanic rocks was manifest after the first days. The most favourable pH for As release was pH 6 while concentrations above 250 μM Dfob considerably enhanced As and Fe concentrations in solution. The As release from rocks was between 2.0–10% at pH 6 and 2.4–8.8% at pH 8. The As/Fe ratio in solution changed with time suggesting different release mechanisms and higher mobility of As compared to Fe during the first phase of the experiment. The presence of siderophore increased Fe dissolution rates up to 10 orders of magnitude. The As release correlated with Al, Mn, Fe, Si, V, Ga and Sb and the release of all these elements increased with increasing Dfob concentration. In alkaline environments also Cu, Zn and Pb were mobilized. The presence of siderophores represents a possible trigger for As mobilization from iron binding minerals to the water phase, with interesting implications for groundwater quality, plant uptake and bacterial communities.     

Adsorption and surface oxidation of Fe(II) on metal (hydr)oxides

The Fe(II) adsorption by non-ferric and ferric (hydr)oxides has been analyzed with surface complexation modeling. The CD model has been used to derive the interfacial distribution of charge. The fitted CD coefficients have been linked to the mechanism of adsorption. The Fe(II) adsorption is discussed for TiO₂, γ-AlOOH (boehmite), γ-FeOOH (lepidocrocite), α-FeOOH (goethite) and HFO (ferrihydrite) in relation to the surface structure and surface sites. One type of surface complex is formed at TiO₂ and γ-AlOOH, i.e. a surface-coordinated Fe²⁺ ion. At the TiO₂ (Degussa) surface, the Fe²⁺ ion is probably bound as a quattro-dentate surface complex. The CD value of Fe²⁺ adsorbed to γ-AlOOH points to the formation of a tridentate complex, which might be a double edge surface complex. The adsorption of Fe(II) to ferric (hydr)oxides differs. The charge distribution points to the transfer of electron charge from the adsorbed Fe(II) to the solid and the subsequent hydrolysis of the ligands that coordinate to the adsorbed ion, formerly present as Fe(II). Analysis shows that the hydrolysis corresponds to the hydrolysis of adsorbed Al(III) for γ-FeOOH and α-FeOOH. In both cases, an adsorbed M(III) is found in agreement with structural considerations. For lepidocrocite, the experimental data point to a process with a complete surface oxidation while for goethite and also HFO, data can be explained assuming a combination of Fe(II) adsorption with and without electron transfer. Surface oxidation (electron transfer), leading to adsorbed Fe(III)(OH)₂, is favored at high pH (pH > ∼7.5) promoting the deprotonation of two Fe_III-OH₂ ligands. For goethite, the interaction of Fe(II) with As(III) and vice versa has been modeled too. To explain Fe(II)-As(III) dual-sorbate systems, formation of a ternary type of surface complex is included, which is supposed to be a monodentate As(III) surface complex that interacts with an Fe(II) ion, resulting in a binuclear bidentate As(III) surface complex.