Effect of arsenic concentration on microbial iron reduction and arsenic speciation in an iron-rich freshwater sediment

Depth profiles in the sediment porewaters of the Chattahoochee River (Georgia, USA) show that iron oxides scavenge arsenate in the water column and settle to the sediment-water interface (SWI) where they are reduced by iron-reducing bacteria. During their reduction, these particles seem to release arsenic to the porewaters in the form of arsenate only. Sediment slurry incubations were conducted to determine the effect of low concentrations of arsenic (?10 μM) on biogeochemical processes in these sediments. Experiments confirm that any arsenate (As(V)) added to these sediments is immediately adsorbed in oxic conditions and released in anoxic conditions during the microbial reduction of authigenic iron oxides. Incubations in the presence of ?1 μM As(V) reveal that arsenate is released but not concomitantly reduced during this process. Simultaneously, microbial iron reduction is enhanced significantly, spurring the simultaneous release of arsenate into porewaters and secondary formation of crystalline iron oxides. Above 1 μM As(V), however, the microbial reductive dissolution of iron oxides appears inhibited by arsenate, and arsenite is produced in excess in the porewaters. These incubations show that even low inputs of arsenic to riverine sediments may affect microbial processes, the stability of iron oxides and, indirectly, the cycling of arsenic. Possible mechanisms for such effects on iron reduction are proposed.     

Microcosm studies on iron and arsenic mobilization from aquifer sediments under different conditions of microbial activity and carbon source

Microcosm experiments were conducted to understand the mechanism of microbially mediated mobilization of Fe and As from high arsenic aquifer sediments. Arsenic-resistant strains isolated from aquifer sediments of a borehole specifically drilled for this study at Datong basin were used as inoculated strains, and glucose and sodium acetate as carbon sources for the experiments. In abiotic control experiments, the maximum concentrations of Fe and As were only 0.47 mg/L and 0.9 μg/L, respectively. By contrast, the maximum contents of Fe and As in anaerobic microcosm experiments were much higher (up to 1.82 mg/L and 12.91 μg/L, respectively), indicating the crucial roles of microbial activities in Fe and As mobilization. The observed difference in Fe and As release with different carbon sources may be related to the difference in growth pattern and composition of microbial communities that develop in response to the type of carbon sources.     

Kinetics of microbial sulfate reduction in estuarine sediments

Kinetic parameters of microbial sulfate reduction in intertidal sediments from a freshwater, brackish and marine site of the Scheldt estuary (Belgium, the Netherlands) were determined. Sulfate reduction rates (SRR) were measured at 10, 21, and 30 °C, using both flow-through reactors containing intact sediment slices and conventional sediment slurries. At the three sites, and for all depth intervals studied (0-2, 2-4, 4-6 and 6-8 cm), the dependence of potential SRR on the sulfate concentration followed the Michaelis-Menten rate equation. Apparent sulfate half-saturation concentrations, K_m, measured in the flow-through reactor experiments were comparable at the freshwater and marine sites (0.1-0.3 mM), but somewhat higher at the brackish site (0.4-0.9 mM). Maximum potential SRR, R_max, in the 0-4 cm depth interval of the freshwater sediments were similar to those in the 0-6 cm interval of the marine sediments (10-46 nmol cm⁻³ h⁻¹ at 21 °C), despite much lower in situ sulfate availability and order-of-magnitude lower densities of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), at the freshwater site. Values of R_max in the brackish sediments were lower (3.7-7.6 nmol cm⁻³ h⁻¹ at 21 °C), probably due to less labile organic matter, as inferred from higher C_org/N ratios. Inflow solutions supplemented with lactate enhanced potential SRR at all three sites. Slurry incubations systematically yielded higher R_max values than flow-through reactor experiments for the freshwater and brackish sediments, but similar values for the marine sediments. Transport limitation of potential SRR at the freshwater and brackish sites may be related to the lower sediment porosities and SRB densities compared to the marine site. Multiple rate controls, including sulfate availability, organic matter quality, temperature, and SRB abundance, modulate in situ sulfate-reducing activity along the estuarine salinity gradient.     

A model for oxygen and sulfur isotope fractionation in sulfate during bacterial sulfate reduction processes

We present a model of bacterial sulfate reduction that includes equations describing the fractionation relationship between the sulfur and the oxygen isotope composition of residual sulfate (δ³⁴S_{SO4_residual}, δ¹⁸O_{SO4_residual}) and the amount of residual sulfate. The model is based exclusively on oxygen isotope exchange between cell-internal sulfur compounds and ambient water as the dominating mechanism controlling oxygen isotope fractionation processes. We show that our model explains δ³⁴S_{SO4_residual} vs. δ¹⁸O_{SO4_residual} patterns observed from natural environments and from laboratory experiments, whereas other models, favoring kinetic isotope fractionation processes as dominant process, fail to explain many (but not all) observed δ³⁴S_{SO4_residual} vs. δ¹⁸O_{SO4_residual} patterns. Moreover, we show that a “typical” δ³⁴S_{SO4_residual} vs. δ¹⁸O_{SO4_residual} slope does not exist. We postulate that measurements of δ³⁴S_{SO4_residual} and δ¹⁸O_{SO4_residual} can be used as a tool to determine cell-specific sulfate reduction rates, oxygen isotope exchange rates, and equilibrium oxygen isotope exchange factors. Data from culture experiments are used to determine the range of sulfur isotope fractionation factors in which a simplified set of equations can be used. Numerical examples demonstrate the application of the equations. We postulate that, during denitrification, the oxygen isotope effects in residual nitrate are also the result of oxygen isotope exchange with ambient water. Consequently, the equations for the relationship between δ³⁴S_{SO4_residual}, δ¹⁸O_{SO4_residual}, and the amount of residual sulfate could be modified and used to calculate the fractionation-relationship between δ¹⁵N_{NO3_residual}, δ¹⁸O_{NO3_residual}, and the amount of residual nitrate during denitrification.     

Concurrent low- and high-affinity sulfate reduction kinetics in marine sediment

Bacterial sulfate reduction in marine sediments generally occurs in the presence of high millimolar concentrations of sulfate. Published data indicate that low sulfate concentrations may limit sulfate reduction rates below 0.2-2 mM. Yet, high sulfate reduction rates occur in the 1-100 μM range in freshwater sediments and at the sulfate-methane transition in marine sediments. Through a combination of ³⁵S-tracer experiments, including initial velocity experiments and time course experiments, we searched for different sulfate affinities in the mixed community of sulfate reducers in a marine sediment. We supported the radiotracer experiments with a highly sensitive ion chromatographic technique for sulfate with a detection limit of 0.15 μM SO₄²⁻ in marine pore water. Our results showed that high and low affinities for sulfate co-occur and that the applied experimental approach may determine the observed apparent half saturation constant, K_m. Our experimental and model data both show that sulfate reduction in the studied marine sediment could be explained by two dominating affinities for sulfate: a low affinity with a mean half saturation constant, K_m, of 430 μM SO₄²⁻ and a high affinity with a mean K_m of 2.6 μM SO₄²⁻. The high-affinity sulfate reduction was thermodynamically un-constrained down to <1 μM SO₄²⁻, both in our experiments and under in situ conditions. The reduction of radio-labeled sulfate was partly reversible due to concurrent re-oxidation of sulfide by Fe(III) and possibly due to a reversibility of the enzymatic pathway of sulfate reduction. A literature survey of apparent K_m values for sediments and pure cultures is presented and discussed.     

Speciation and natural attenuation of arsenic and iron in a tidally influenced shallow aquifer

The mobility of subsurface arsenic is controlled by sorption, precipitation, and dissolution processes that are tied directly to coupled redox reactions with more abundant, but spatially and temporally variable, iron and sulfur species. Adjacent to the site of a former pesticide manufacturing facility near San Francisco Bay (California, USA), soil and groundwater arsenic concentrations are elevated in sediments near the prior source, but decrease to background levels downgradient where shallow groundwater mixes with infiltrating tidal waters at the plume periphery, which has not migrated appreciably in over two decades of monitoring. We used synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy, together with supporting characterizations and sequential chemical extractions, to directly determine the oxidation state of arsenic and iron as a function of depth in sediments from cores recovered from the unsaturated and saturated zones of a shallow aquifer (to 3.5 m below the surface). Arsenic oxidation state and local bonding in sediments, as As-sulfide, As(III)-oxide, or As(V)-oxide, were related to lithologic redox horizons and depth to groundwater. Based on arsenic and iron speciation, three subsurface zones were identified: (i) a shallow reduced zone in which sulfide phases were found in either the arsenic spectra (realgar-like or orpiment-like local structure), the iron spectra (presence of pyrite), or both, with and without As(III) or As(V) coordinated by oxygen; (ii) a middle transitional zone with mixed arsenic oxidation states (As(III)–O and As(V)–O) but no evidence for sulfide phases in either the arsenic or iron spectra; and (iii) a lower oxidized zone in the saturated freshwater aquifer in which sediments contained only oxidized As(V) and Fe(III) in labile (non-detrital) phases. The zone of transition between the presence and absence of sulfide phases corresponded to the approximate seasonal fluctuation in water level associated with shallow groundwater in the sand-dominated, lower oxic zone. Total sediment arsenic concentrations showed a minimum in the transition zone and an increase in the oxic zone, particularly in core samples nearest the former source. Equilibrium and reaction progress modeling of aqueous-sediment reactions in response to decreasing oxidation potential were used to illustrate the dynamics of arsenic uptake and release in the shallow subsurface. Arsenic attenuation was controlled by two mechanisms, precipitation as sulfide phases under sulfate-reducing conditions in the unsaturated zone, and adsorption of oxidized arsenic to iron hydroxide phases under oxidizing conditions in saturated groundwaters. This study demonstrates that both realgar-type and orpiment-type phases can form in sulfate-reducing sediments at ambient temperatures, with realgar predicted as the thermodynamically stable phase in the presence of pyrite and As(III) under more reduced conditions than orpiment. Field and modeling results indicate that the potential for release of arsenite to solution is maximized in the transition between sulfate-reduced and iron-oxidized conditions when concentrations of labile iron are low relative to arsenic, pH-controlled arsenic sorption is the primary attenuation mechanism, and mixed Fe(II,III)-oxide phases do not form and generate new sorption sites.     

Rates of microbial hydrogen oxidation and sulfate reduction in Opalinus Clay rock

Hydrogen gas (H₂) may be produced by the anoxic corrosion of steel components in underground structures, such as geological repositories for radioactive waste. In such environments, hydrogen was shown to serve as an electron donor for autotrophic bacteria. High gas overpressures are to be avoided in radioactive waste repositories and, thus, microbial consumption of H₂ is generally viewed as beneficial. However, to fully consider this biological process in models of repository evolution over time, it is crucial to determine the in situ rates of microbial hydrogen oxidation and sulfate reduction. These rates were estimated through two distinct in situ experiments, using several measurement and calculation methods. Volumetric consumption rates were calculated to be between 1.13 and 1.93 μmol cm⁻³ day⁻¹ for H₂, and 0.14 and 0.20 μmol cm⁻³ day⁻¹ for sulfate. Based on the stoichiometry of the reaction, there is an excess of H₂ consumed, suggesting that it serves as an electron donor to reduce electron acceptors other than sulfate, and/or that some H₂ is lost via diffusion. These rate estimates are critical to evaluate whether biological H₂ consumption can negate H₂ production in repositories, and to determine whether sulfate reduction can consume sulfate faster than it is replenished by diffusion, which could lead to methanogenic conditions.     

Nature and extent of carbonate precipitation during aquifer thermal energy storage

Heating of calcite-saturated groundwater induces no precipitation to thermodynamic equilibrium with respect to end-member Ca-carbonates. Column experiments, using native groundwater and aquifer sediment, were performed to study the controlling factors in the kinetics of carbonate precipitation for a natural system by injection of groundwater in a sediment core at 90°C. The temperature increase induced a fast precipitation of a CaFe-carbonate, containing Mn and phosphate, and a CaMgFe-carbonate, containing Mn, within at most 10 h. Both precipitates varied in composition and were partly amorphic, partly crystalline. Prolonged precipitation, after almost all Fe[II] had been removed, was extremely slow despite a twelve-fold supersaturation with respect to end-member calcite. The resulting supersaturation cannot be explained by either calcite precipitation kinetics, Mg-inhibition, Mg-calcite solubility control, or Ca-organic acid complexing, because these factors may explain a two-fold supersaturation at most. The maintenance of supersaturation is attributed to inhibition of precipitation by phosphate and/or organic acids. The influence of secondary reactions, as cation-exchange and silicate weathering, is of minor importance on the carbonate chemistry. Cation-exchange was observed in the initial stages of heated water injection. Potassium, NH₄ and Fe become desorbed upon temperature increase. Related Ca-adsorption is insufficient to avoid Ca-carbonate precipitation. Weathering of silicates occurs continuously and leads to the release of Na, Ca and Mg.     

Seasonal variations of microbial sulfate and iron reduction in alkaline Pb–Zn mine tailings (Ontario, Canada)

Several studies have shown that SO₄-reducing bacteria (SRB) are active in acidic sulfide-rich mine tailings and sediments impacted by mining activities. SRB activity in acidic tailings has been shown to vary with seasons as a result of fluctuating in situ physico-chemical conditions. Iron-reducing bacteria (FeRB) also play an important role in Fe cycling in sediments impacted by mining activities, but their activity in mine tailings is poorly understood, despite the fact that geochemical evidence indicates that they might be active. The present study was undertaken to assess the seasonal changes in SRB and FeRB abundance and activity in alkaline Pb–Zn mine tailings (Calumet tailings) located near Ottawa, ON, Canada. Results showed that FeRB and SRB populations were present throughout the year at two different sampling sites at the Calumet tailings, but SO₄ reduction rates (SRR) were lower in the spring than in the summer, indicating that SRB activity was affected by organic C availability and/or temperature. Surface agricultural runoff at one site provided ample nutrients and organic C to the tailings, but SRB activity remained lower than the site not impacted by nutrient runoff, suggesting that the type of organic C was different between the two sites and that less labile organic substrates were available to SRB in the organic-rich site. High SRB activity in the site containing low organic C inhibited the abundance of FeRB, and possibly their activity, as a result of abiotic reduction of Fe(III)-rich minerals by biogenic sulfides, which lowered the pool of final electron acceptors. The abiotic reduction pathway was consistent with the porewater data which showed that sulfide was consumed and SO₄ produced, along with Fe(II). These results show a strong interdependence between SRB and FeRB activity, as observed in other environments, such as saltmarsh sediments. Low temperature did not appear to hinder FeRB abundance in alkaline tailings. Finally, despite evidence that SRB populations were active at both sites, the |S isotopic composition of the AVS and CRS fractions were not representative of biogenic sulfides, indicating that the overall S-isotope signature of mine tailings is more representative of abiotic sulfides originating from the ore body.     

不同碳源对砷污染沉积物中砷的微生物降解的影响

在试验室通过使用多种碳源（包括醋酸盐、乳酸盐和葡萄糖），对采于朝鲜废弃金银矿地区的受砷污染的沉积物样品（339毫克／千克）中固有细菌生物激化后，就沉积物样品中固有细菌对砷物种形成和活动性的影响，进行了研究。通过连续提取分析来确定砷的形式，结果表明，沉积物中40％和47％的砷分别以铁伴生物和残留组分的形式存在。通过使用醋酸盐和乳酸盐对沉积物样品进行培育22天后，固有细菌增加了沉积物样品中铁伴生物和残留组分中溶解砷的总量。当与消过毒的沉积物样品（总溶解砷浓度低于50％）对比时发现，生物悬浮液中超过99％的溶解砷以砷（V）的形式存在，这表明，固有细菌将部分溶解的砷（III）转换成了砷（V）。在实际环境中，依据pH值的不同，微生物引起的水成砷（V）既可以通过吸附而固定不动，也可以在向地下缺氧区迁移后被还原成（III）。     

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.     

The anaerobic degradation of organic matter in Danish coastal sediments: iron reduction, manganese reduction, and sulfate reduction

We used a combination of porewater and solid phase analysis, as well as a series of sediment incubations, to quantify organic carbon oxidation by dissimilatory Fe reduction, Mn reduction, and sulfate reduction, in sediments from the Skagerrak (located off the northeast coast of Jutland, Denmark). In the deep portion of the basin, surface Mn enrichments reached 3.5 wt%, and Mn reduction was the only important anaerobic carbon oxidation process in the upper 10 cm of the sediment. In the less Mn-rich sediments from intermediate depths in the basin, Fe reduction ranged from somewhat less, to far more important than sulfate reduction. Most of the Mn reduction in these sediments may have been coupled to the oxidation of acid volatile sulfides (AVS), rather than to dissimilatory reduction. High rates of metal oxide reduction at all sites were driven by active recycling of both Fe and Mn, encouraged by bioturbation. Recycling was so rapid that the residence time of Fe and Mn oxides, with respect to reduction, ranged from 70-250 days. These results require that, on average, an atom of Fe or Mn is oxidized and reduced between 100-300 times before ultimate burial into the sediment. We observed that dissolved Mn2+ was completely removed onto fully oxidized Mn oxides until the oxidation level of the oxides was reduced to about 3.8, presumably reflecting the saturation by Mn2+ of highly reactive surface adsorption sites. Fully oxidized Mn oxides in sediments, then, may act as a cap preventing Mn2+ escape. We speculate that in shallow sediments of the Skagerrak, surface Mn oxides are present in a somewhat reduced oxidation level (< 3.8) allowing Mn2+ to escape, and perhaps providing the Mn2+ which enriches sediments of the deep basin.     

A revised isotope fractionation model for dissimilatory sulfate reduction in sulfate reducing bacteria

Sulfur isotope fractionation during dissimilatory sulfate reduction has been conceptually described by the widely accepted Rees model as related to the stepwise reduction of sulfate to sulfide within the cells of bacteria. The magnitude of isotope fractionation is determined by the interplay between different reduction steps in a chain of reactions. Here we present a revision of Rees’ model for bacterial sulfate reduction that includes revised fractionation factors for the sulfite-sulfide step and incorporates new forward and reverse steps in the reduction of sulfite to sulfide, as well as exchange of sulfide between the cell and ambient water. With this model we show that in contrast to the Rees model, isotope fractionations well in excess of −46‰ are possible. Therefore, some of the large sulfur isotope fractionations observed in nature can be explained without the need of alternate pathways involving the oxidative sulfur cycle. We use this model to predict that large fractionations should occur under hypersulfidic conditions and where electron acceptor concentrations are limiting.     

高温微生物铁还原条件下绿脱石对有机质的保存作用研究

粘土矿物在地表环境中广泛存在,并且与环境中的有机质紧密结合在一起。前人的研究发现,粘土矿物的可膨胀层间域可以有效地保存有机质,防止其在微生物诱导的氧化还原环境的波动的环境中被矿化。然而这一过程在高温条件下是否同样成立尚属未知。本文选取一种代表性有机质12-氨基十二酸(ALA)与典型含铁粘土矿物绿脱石(NAu-2)合成有机质-粘土矿物复合体,在两株高温-超高温铁还原细菌的作用后,通过多种水化学和矿物学的表征手段,研究其矿物结构的变化、有机质的结合稳定性和脱附情况。结果发现细菌对绿脱石结构铁的还原过程中造成的矿物结构的破坏(还原性溶解)是控制ALA从NAu-2中脱附的主要原因。高温条件也会略微促进ALA从NAu-2的层间域中脱附出来。总体来说,受限于微生物对结构铁的还原程度(30%),最终在结构铁还原反应结束后还是有相当大量的ALA在层间保存了下来。这一结果证明了粘土矿物的层间域在高温条件下同样也能够作为有机质保存的有效场所。     

蒲阳河流域地下水水化学及同位素特征

保定西部山前地区位于太行山及华北平原交界带,为缓解极端气候灾害对生产生活的影响,维持地下水资源的可持续开发利用,开展相关的地下水水化学及同位素特征研究。研究区地下水化学类型以HCO3—Ca·Mg、HCO3·SO4—Ca·Mg及SO4·HCO3—Ca·Mg为主,区内地下水主要来源于大气降水,流域内地表水补给地下水;地下水中化学成分为Ca2＋、Mg2＋、HCO-3、SO2-4,主要来源于岩石风化作用,同时受到人类活动的影响,地下水中硝酸盐含量明显升高;由于受到褶皱构造的控制,流域的上游及平原区均出现年龄大于60年的地下水,多数岩溶水年龄较复杂,从现代水到大于60年的水均有分布。研究成果为流域内水资源的合理开发利用提供建议,区内岩溶地下水的开发将在一定程度上缓解极端天气的影响。     

Sulfur isotope fractionation during bacterial sulfate reduction in organic-rich sediments

Isotope fractionation during sulfate reduction by natural populations of sulfate-reducing bacteria was investigated in the cyanobacterial microbial mats of Solar Lake, Sinai and the sediments of Logten Lagoon sulfuretum, Denmark. Fractionation was measured at different sediment depths, sulfate concentrations, and incubation temperatures. Rates of sulfate reduction varied between 0.1 and 37 micromoles cm-3 d-1, with the highest rates among the highest ever reported from natural sediments. The depletion of 34S during dissimilatory sulfate reduction ranged from 16% to 42%, with the largest 34S-depletions associated with the lowest rates of sulfate reduction and the lowest 34S-depletions with the highest rates. However, at high sulfate reduction rates (>10 micromoles cm-3 d-1) the lowest fractionation was 20% independent of the rates. Overall, there was a similarity between the fractionation obtained by the natural populations of sulfate reducers and previous measurements from pure cultures. This was somewhat surprising given the extremely high rates of sulfate reduction in the experiments. Our results are explained if we conclude that the fractionation was mainly controlled by the specific rate of sulfate reduction (mass cell-1 time-1) and not by the absolute rate (mass volume-1 time-1). Sedimentary sulfides (mainly FeS2) were on average 40% depleted in 34S compared to seawater sulfate. This amount of depletion was more than could be explained by the isotopic fractionations that we measured during bacterial sulfate reduction. Therefore, additional processes contributing to the fractionation of sulfur isotopes in the sediments are indicated. From both Solar Lake and Logten Lagoon we were able to enrich cultures of elemental sulfur-disproportionating bacteria. We suggest that isotope fractionation accompanying elemental sulfur disproportionation contributes to the 34S depletion of sedimentary sulfides at our study sites.     

高砷含水层沉积物含铁矿物特性及其对砷的水文地球化学作用

含水层沉积物中含铁矿物的特征与活性会影响砷的迁移转化行为。通过内蒙古含水层沉积物含铁矿物的溶解、还原动力学实验,研究了沉积物含铁矿物特征和活性及其与砷运移的关系。结果表明,沉积物中具还原活性的铁氧化物总量(m0)与岩性有关,细砂为52 μmol/g,黏土为45 μmol/g。初始还原速率k′均在10-5 s-1的数量级。表征活性均匀度的参数γ值介于合成铁氧化物矿物和表层沉积物之间。沉积物中Fe(Ⅲ)氧化物的还原活性主要介于人造纤铁矿与针铁矿的活性水平范围内。沉积物中可能存在两类活性水平不同的Fe(Ⅲ)氧化物。As更倾向于吸附在活性较强的Fe(Ⅲ)氧化物上。还原环境中,活性较强的Fe(Ⅲ)氧化物的还原性溶解,促进了沉积物中砷的释放。     

Transport of bacteria in aquifer sediment: experiments and modeling

A mathematical model based on the advection-dispersion equation, modified to account for growth, decay, attachment, and detachment of microorganisms, was developed to describe the transport and growth of bacteria in aquifers. Column experiments on the transport of a species of sulfate-reducing bacteria through saturated-aquifer sediment were conducted to gain a quantitative knowledge of the attachment and detachment processes. Relevant parameter values such as the attachment-site capacity of the sediment and the attachment and detachment coefficients under different conditions, were obtained by fitting the experimental data with the non-growth condition transport model. The transport model was then refined and improved to incorporate the microbial sulfate reduction mechanism. To evaluate the applicability of this model, bacterial transport in aquifers under both nutrient-rich and oligotrophic environments was modeled by employing the parameters gained from experiments and from available literature; the model results were consistent with observations reported in former studies. In addition, the results revealed that the distribution of bacteria in the aqueous phase and in the sediments is directly related to the attachment-site capacity of the sediment. Thus, the attachment-site capacity of the sediment is a key factor to evaluate the transport and growth of bacteria in aquifers.