Layered
manganese (Mn) oxides, such as birnessite, can reductively
transform into other phases and thereby affect the environmental behavior
of Mn oxides. Solution chemistry strongly influences the transformation,
but the effects of oxyanions remain unknown. We determined the products
and rates of Mn(II)-driven reductive transformation of δ-MnO2, a nanoparticulate hexagonal birnessite, in the presence
of phosphate or silicate at pH 6–8 and a wide range of Mn(II)/MnO2 molar ratios. Without the oxyanions, δ-MnO2 transforms into triclinic birnessite (T-bir) and 4 × 4 tunneled
Mn oxide (TMO) at low Mn(II)/MnO2 ratios (0.09 and 0.13)
and into δ-MnOOH and Mn3O4 with minor
poorly crystallized α- and γ-MnOOH at high Mn(II)/MnO2 ratios (0.5 and 1). The presence of phosphate or silicate
substantially decreases the rate and extent of the above transformation,
probably due to adsorption of the oxyanions on layer edges or the
formation of Mn(II,III)-oxyanion ternary complexes on vacancies of
δ-MnO2, adversely interfering with electron transfer,
Mn(III) distribution, and structural rearrangements. The oxyanions
also reduce the crystallinity and particle sizes of the transformation
products, ascribed to adsorption of the oxyanions on the products,
preventing their further particle growth. This study enriches our
understanding of the solution chemistry control on redox-driven transformation
of Mn oxides.