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Groundwater, an important source of drinking water globally, is susceptible to contamination by naturally occurring metals and radionuclides. Regional trends in groundwater quality are useful in pr...

Recent studies have suggested the potential for release of iron (Fe) oxide-bound organic carbon (OC) during dissimilatory iron oxide reduction (DIR). However, the stability of Fe (hydr)oxide-bound OC in the presence of a natural microbial consortium capable of driving both OC metabolism and DIR has not been resolved. Pure ferrihydrite (Fhy) and Fhy-humic acid coprecipitates (Fhy-HA) were inoculated with a small quantity of freshwater sediment and incubated under anoxic conditions in the presence and absence of H(2) or glucose as electron donors for DIR. H(2) promoted DIR led to release of ca. 1 mM dissolved organic carbon (DOC). However, comparable amounts of DOC were released from both pure Fhy and Fhy-HA, similar to DOC levels in mineral-free, inoculum only controls. These results suggest that the observed DOC release during H(2)-promoted DIR originated from OC contained in the inoculum as opposed to the much larger pool (ca. 38 mM) of OC in the Fhy-HA. Thus, DIR preferentially released sorbed OC with low aromaticity (inoculum OC) versus highly aromatic OC (HA) coprecipitated with Fe oxide. Our findings provide new insight into the extent and mechanisms by which DIR is likely to influence aqueous/solid-phase OC partitioning in anoxic soils and sediments.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting compound widely used in the plastic industry and found in natural waters at concentrations considered harmful for aquatic life. BPA is susceptible to oxidation by Mn(III/IV) oxides, which are commonly found in near-surface environments. Here, we quantify BPA oxidation rates and the formation of its predominant product, 4-hydroxycumyl alcohol (HCA), in tandem with transformation of a synthetic, Mn(III)-rich δ-MnO2. To investigate the effect of Mn oxide structural changes on BPA oxidation rate, 12 sequential additions of 80 μM BPA are performed at pH 7. During the additions, BPA oxidation rate decreases by 3 orders of magnitude, and HCA yield decreases from 40% to 3%. This is attributed to the accumulation of interlayer Mn(II/III) produced during the reaction, as observed using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, as well as additional spectroscopic and wet chemical techniques. HCA is oxidized at a rate that is 12.6 times slower than BPA and accumulates in solution. Th...

Layered, poorly crystalline Mn(IV)O(2) phases are abundant in the environment. These mineral phases may rapidly oxidize Cr(III) to more mobile and toxic Cr(VI) in soils. There is still, however, little knowledge of how Cr(III) oxidation by Mn(IV)O(2) proceeds at the microscopic and molecular levels. Therefore, the sorption mechanisms of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) on Random Stacked Birnessite (RSB), δ-MnO(2), and Acid Birnessite (AB) were determined by Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy (EXAFS). These three synthetic Mn(IV)O(2), which are poorly crystalline phases and have layered structures, were reacted with 50 mM Cr(III) at pH 2.5, 3, and 3.5 before being analyzed by EXAFS. The results indicated that Cr(VI) was loosely sorbed as an outer-sphere complex on Mn(IV)O(2), while Cr(III) was tightly sorbed as an inner-sphere complex. Further research is needed to understand why Cr(III) stopped being significantly oxidized by Mn(IV)O(2) after 30 min. This study, however, demonstrated that the formation of a Cr surface precipitate is not necessarily responsible for the cessation in Cr(III) oxidation. Indeed, no Cr surface precipitate was detected at the microscopic and molecular levels on Mn(IV)O(2) surfaces reacted with Cr(III) for 1 h, although the Cr(III) oxidation ceased before 1 h of reaction at most employed experimental conditions.

Arsenite (As(III)) oxidation by manganese oxides (Mn-oxides) serves to detoxify and, under many conditions, immobilize arsenic (As) by forming arsenate (As(V)). As(III) oxidation by Mn(IV)-oxides can be quite complex, involving many simultaneous forward reactions and subsequent back reactions. During As(III) oxidation by Mn-oxides, a reduction in oxidation rate is often observed, which is attributed to Mn-oxide surface passivation. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data show that Mn(II) sorption on a poorly crystalline hexagonal birnessite (δ-MnO₂) is important in passivation early during reaction with As(III). Also, it appears that Mn(III) in the δ-MnO₂ structure is formed by conproportionation of sorbed Mn(II) and Mn(IV) in the mineral structure. The content of Mn(III) within the δ-MnO₂ structure appears to increase as the reaction proceeds. Binding of As(V) to δ-MnO₂ also changes as Mn(III) becomes more prominent in the δ-MnO ₂ structure. The data presented indicate that As(III) oxidation and As(V) sorption by poorly crystalline δ-MnO₂ is greatly affected by Mn oxidation state in the δ-MnO₂ structure.

Biogenic Mn-oxides (BioMnO(x)), produced by microorganisms, possess an extraordinary ability to sequester metals. BioMnO(x) are generally layered structures containing varying amounts of Mn(III) and vacant sites in the Mn layers. However the relationship between the varying structure of BioMnO(x) and metal sorption properties remains unclear. In this study, BioMnO(x) produced by Pseudomonas putida strain GB-1 was synthesized at either pH 6, 7, or 8 in CaCl(2) solution, and Ni(II) sorption mechanisms were determined at pH 7 and at different Ni(II) loadings, using isotherm and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopic analyses. Our data demonstrate that Ni(II) sorbs at vacant sites in the interlayer of the BioMnO(x) and the maximum Ni(II) sorption capacity increases as the formation pH of BioMnO(x) decreases. This relation indicates that the quantity of BioMnO(x) vacant sites increases as formation conditions become more acidic, which is in good agreement with our companion study. Contents of the vacant sites were quantitatively estimated based on maximum Ni(II) sorption capacity. Additionally, this study reveals that imidazole groups are involved in Ni(II) binding to biomaterials, and have a higher Ni(II) sorption affinity, but a lower site density compared to carboxyl groups.

Methylated forms of arsenic (As), monomethylarsenate (MMA) and dimethylarsenate (DMA), have historically been used as herbicides and pesticides. Because of their large application to agriculture fields and the toxicity of MMA and DMA, the sorption of methylated As to soil constituents requires investigation. MMA and DMA sorption on amorphous aluminum oxide (AAO) was investigated using both macroscopic batch sorption kinetics and molecular scale extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques. Sorption isotherm studies revealed sorption maxima of 0.183, 0.145, and 0.056 mmol As/mmol Al for arsenate (As{sup V}), MMA, and DMA, respectively. In the sorption kinetics studies, 100% of added As{sup V} was sorbed within 5 min, while 78% and 15% of added MMA and DMA were sorbed, respectively. Desorption experiments, using phosphate as a desorbing agent, resulted in 30% release of absorbed As{sup V}, while 48% and 62% of absorbed MMA and DMA, respectively, were released. FTIR and EXAFS studies revealed that MMA and DMA formed mainly bidentate binuclear complexes with AAO. On the basis of these results, it is proposed that increasing methyl group substitution results in decreased As sorption and increased As desorption on AAO.

The oxidation state of uranium plays a major role in determining uranium mobility in the environment. Under anaerobic conditions, common metal respiring bacteria enzymatically reduce soluble U(VI) to U(IV), resulting in the formation of sparingly soluble UO(2(bio)) (biogenic uraninite). The stability of biologically precipitated uraninite is critical for determining the long-term fate of uranium and is not well characterized within soils and sediments. Here, we demonstrate that biogenic uraninite oxidation by ferrihydrite, an environmentally ubiquitous, disordered Fe(III) (hydr)oxide, appears to proceed through a soluble U(IV) intermediate and results in the concomitant production of Fe(II) and dissolved U(VI). Uraninite oxidation rates are accelerated under conditions that increase its solubility and decrease uraninite surface passivation, which include high bicarbonate concentration and pH values deviating from neutrality. Thus, our results demonstrate that UO(2(bio)) oxidation by Fe(III) (hydr)oxides is controlled by the rate of uraninite dissolution and that this process may limit uranium(IV) sequestration in the presence of Fe(III) (hydr)oxides.

The bioreduction of soluble uranium [U(VI)] to sparingly soluble U(IV) species is an attractive remedial technology for contaminated soil and groundwater due to the potential for immobilizing uranium and impeding its migration in subsurface environments. This manuscript describes a column study designed to simulate a three-step strategy proposed for the remediation of a heavily contaminated site at the U.S. Department of Energy's NABIR Field Research Center in Oak Ridge, TN. The soil is contaminated with high concentrations of uranium, aluminum, and nitrate and has a low, highly buffered pH (approximately 3.5). Steps proposed for remediation are (i) flushing to remove nitrate and aluminum, (ii) neutralization to establish pH conditions favorable for biostimulation, and (iii) biostimulation for U(VI) reduction. We simulated this sequence using a packed soil column containing undisturbed aggregates of U(VI)-contaminated saprolite that was flushed with an acidified salt solution (pH 4.0), neutralized with bicarbonate (60 mM), and then biostimulated by adding ethanol. The column was operated anaerobically in a closed-loop recirculation setup. However, during the initial month of biostimulation, ethanol was not utilized, and U(VI) was not reduced. A bacterial culture enriched from the site groundwaterwas subsequently added, and the consumption of ethanol coupled with sulfate reduction immediately ensued. The aqueous concentration of U(VI) initially increased, evidently because of the biological production of carbonate, a ligand known to solubilize uranyl. After approximately 50 days, aqueous U(VI) concentrations rapidly decreased from approximately 17 to1 mg/L. At the conclusion of the experiment,the presence of reduced solid phase U(IV) was confirmed using X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy. The results indicate that bioreduction to immobilize uranium is potentially feasible at this site; however, the stability of the reduced U(IV) and its potential reoxidation will require further investigation, as do the effects of groundwater chemistry and competitive microbial processes, such as methanogenesis.