Vanadium
(V) geochemistry offers insight into Earth’s global
biogeochemical cycles over geologic time. Additionally, increasing
anthropogenic release of this redox-sensitive metal has led to elevated
V concentrations in soils, sediments, and waters. Although Fe (oxyhydr)oxides
are important sinks for aqueous V in soils and sediments, our understanding
of adsorption mechanisms is currently limited to mononuclear species
(i.e., H
x
VO4
(3–x)–). Here, we use in situ attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
to examine the sorption mechanisms for (poly)vanadate attenuation
by ferrihydrite and hematite from pH 3 to 6. Adsorption isotherms
illustrate the low affinity of polyvanadate species for ferrihydrite
surfaces compared to that for hematite. Mononuclear V species (i.e.,
[H
x
VO4](3–x)– and VO2
+) were present
at all experimental conditions. At low surface loadings and pH values
of 5 and 6, H2VO4
– adsorption
onto ferrihydrite and hematite surfaces results in the formation of
inner-sphere complexes. At [V]T above 250 μM, adsorbed
polynuclear V species in this study include H2V2O7
2– and V4O12
4–, whereas, HV10O28
6–, H3V10O28
5–, and NaHV10O28
4– are the
predominant adsorbed species at pH values of 3 and 4 and elevated
[V]T’s. Surface polymers were identified on hematite
at all experimental pH values, whereas polymeric adsorption onto ferrihydrite
was limited to pH values of 3 and 4. Results also suggest that hematite
is a more suitable substrate for polymer complexation than ferrihydrite.
Our results demonstrate the pH- and concentration-dependent removal
of (poly)vanadate species by Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides, which has implications
for understanding V mobility, behavior, and fate in the environment.