Oxidative removal of Mn(II) from solution catalysed by the γ-FeOOH (lepidocrocite) surface

A laboratory study was undertaken to ascertain the role of surface catalysis in Mn(II) oxidative removal. γ-FeOOH, a ferric oxyhydroxide formed by O₂ oxidation of ferrous iron in solution, was studied in the following ways: surface charge characteristics by acid base titration, adsorption of Mn(II) and surface oxidation of Mn(II). A rate law was formulated to account for the effects of pH and the amount of surface on the surface oxidation rate of Mn(II). The presence of milli-molar levels of γ-FeOOH was shown to reduce significantly the half-life of Mn(II) in 0.7 M NaCl from hundreds of hours to hours. The numerical values of the surface rate constants for the γ-FeOOH and that reported for colloidal MnO₂ are comparable in order of magnitude.