Role of biogenic Fe(III) minerals as a sink and carrier of heavy metals in the Rio Tinto, Spain

Abramov, Sergey M.; Tejada, Julian; Grimm, Lars; Schädler, Franziska; Булаев, А. Г.; Tomaszewski, Elizabeth J.; Byrne, James M.; Straub, Daniel; Thorwarth, Harald; Amils, Ricardo; Kleindienst, Sara; Kappler, Andreas

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137294

Cited by 20 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…72−77 However, it disagrees with an abundance of field-based observations (where Si, PO 4 3− , and NOM are ubiquitous), which show that schwertmannite typically occurs as mixtures with goethite. 6,25,40,51,52,54,58 It also contradicts studies on sediment and terrace profiles from acid-sulfate systems, where younger near-surface layers are schwertmannite-rich, while older subsurface layers contain increasing amounts of goethite. 14,15,25,55,57,58 Although goethite can retain appreciable amounts of As(V), 43 previous experimental work has consistently shown that adsorbed and coprecipitated As(V) retards the transformation of schwertmannite to goethite.…”

Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Schwertmannite is a nanocrystalline Fe(III) oxyhydroxysulfate mineral that is perhaps the most common direct precipitate of Fe(III) from acid-sulfate waters in the pH range of 2−4. 48,49 As such, it has been widely documented in acidsulfate environments, including metalliferous mine drainage, 5,6,15,25,50,51 coal mine drainage, 14,52−56 mine pit lakes, 57−60 and acid-sulfate soils. 61−65 While some may disagree, 66 the structure of schwertmannite is generally thought to be analogous to a distorted akaganeite (FeOOH) unit cell where double chains of edge-sharing FeO 6 octahedra share corners, thereby forming tunnels.…”

Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Arsenic-Imposed Effects on Schwertmannite and Jarosite Formation in Acid Mine Drainage and Coupled Impacts on Arsenic Mobility

Burton

Karimian

Johnston

et al. 2021

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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This study explores interactions between As and Fe(III) minerals, predominantly schwertmannite and jarosite, in acid mine drainage (AMD) via observations at a former mine site combined with mineral formation and transformation experiments. Our objectives were to examine the effect of As on Fe(III) mineralogy in strongly acidic AMD while also considering associated controls on As mobility. AMD at the former mine site was strongly acidic (pH 2.4 to 2.8), with total aqueous Fe and As decreasing down the flow-path from ∼400 to ∼20 mg L–1 and ∼33,000 to ∼150 μg L–1, respectively. This trend was interrupted by a sharp rise in aqueous As(III) and Fe(II) caused by reductive dissolution of As-bearing Fe(III) phases in a sediment retention pond. Attenuation of Fe and As mobility occurred via formation of As(V)-rich schwertmannite, As(V)-rich jarosite, and amorphous ferric arsenate (AFA), resulting in solid-phase As concentrations spanning ∼13 to ∼208 g kg–1. Schwertmannite and jarosite retained As(V) predominantly by structural incorporation involving AsO4-for-SO4 substitution at up to ∼40 and ∼22 mol %, respectively. Arsenic strongly influenced Fe(III) mineral formation, with high As(V) concentrations causing formation of AFA over schwertmannite. Arsenic also strongly influenced Fe(III) mineral evolution over time. In particular, increasing levels of As(V) incorporation within schwertmannite were shown, for the first time, to enhance the transformation of schwertmannite to jarosite. This significant discovery necessitates a re-evaluation of the prevailing paradigm that As(V) retards schwertmannite transformation.

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Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arsenic-Imposed Effects on Schwertmannite and Jarosite Formation in Acid Mine Drainage and Coupled Impacts on Arsenic Mobility

Burton

Karimian

Johnston

et al. 2021

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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“…The pH difference between the cell surface and the farther position away from the cell promoted their recrystallization at a distant position, resulting in the minerals transformed from disordered phase to more ordered crystals (see the large, loose, and massive aggregates in Figure 8 ) (Hegler et al, 2010 ). In this recrystallization, heavy metal ions can combine with mineral crystals and then precipitate in sediments, which promotes the immobilization of heavy metal ions (Abramov et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anaerobic iron-oxidizing bacteria can catalyze the oxidation of ferrous iron [Fe(II)] to ferric iron [Fe(III)] minerals under anoxic conditions (Hedrich et al, 2011 ; Bryce et al, 2018 ). The bacteria and their Fe(III) mineral precipitations can adsorb and coprecipitate not only the nutrients, such as phosphorus and carbon (Schmid et al, 2014 ; Kappler et al, 2021 ), but also the heavy metals, including Al, Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Mn, and Co (Abramov et al, 2020 ; Aziz et al, 2020 ). Microbially-mediated anaerobic iron oxidation has important geological significance (Xiu et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Environmental pH on Mineralization of Anaerobic Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria

et al. 2022

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Freshwater lakes are often polluted with various heavy metals in the Anthropocene. The iron-oxidizing microorganisms and their mineralized products can coprecipitate with many heavy metals, including Al, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Cr. As such, microbial iron oxidation can exert a profound impact on environmental remediation. The environmental pH is a key determinant regulating microbial growth and mineralization and then influences the structure of the final mineralized products of anaerobic iron-oxidizing bacteria. Freshwater lakes, in general, are neutral-pH environments. Understanding the effects of varying pH on the mineralization of iron-oxidizing bacteria under neutrophilic conditions could aid in finding out the optimal pH values that promote the coprecipitation of heavy metals. Here, two typical neutrophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria, the nitrate-reducing Acidovorax sp. strain BoFeN1 and the anoxygenic phototrophic Rhodobacter ferrooxidans strain SW2, were selected for studying how their growth and mineralization response to slight changes in circumneutral pH. By employing focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB–SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we examined the interplay between pH changes and anaerobic iron-oxidizing bacteria and observed that pH can significantly impact the microbial mineralization process and vice versa. Further, pH-dependent changes in the structure of mineralized products of bacterial iron oxidation were observed. Our study could provide mechanical insights into how to manipulate microbial iron oxidation for facilitating remediation of heavy metals in the environment.

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“…Nevertheless, the particulate transport of Cr, Pb, Fe, and, especially, As may be high compared with the dissolved transport, according to the percentages shown in Table 3. A recent work found significant transport of particulate As, Cr, and Pb in the middle course of the Río Tinto [57].…”

Section: Evolution During the Hydrological Year 2017/18mentioning

confidence: 98%

The Evolution of Pollutant Concentrations in a River Severely Affected by Acid Mine Drainage: Río Tinto (SW Spain)

et al. 2020

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The Río Tinto, located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (SW Spain), constitutes an extreme case of pollution by acid mine drainage. Mining in the area dates back to the Copper Age, although large-scale mining of massive sulfide deposits did not start until the second half of the 19th century. Due to acidic mining discharges, the Río Tinto usually maintains a pH close to 2.5 and high concentrations of pollutants along its course. From a detailed sampling during the hydrological year 2017/18, it was observed that most pollutants followed a similar seasonal pattern, with maximum concentrations during autumn due to the washout of secondary soluble sulfate salts and minimum values during large flood events. Nevertheless, As and Pb showed different behavior, with delayed concentration peaks. The dissolved pollutant load throughout the monitored year reached 5000 tons of Fe, 2600 tons of Al, 680 tons of Zn, and so on. While most elements were transported almost exclusively in the dissolved phase, Fe, Pb, Cr, and, above all, As showed high values associated with particulate matter. River water quality data from 1969 to 2019 showed a sharp worsening in 2000, immediately after the mine closure. From 2001 on, an improvement was observed.

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Role of biogenic Fe(III) minerals as a sink and carrier of heavy metals in the Rio Tinto, Spain

Cited by 20 publications

References 55 publications

Arsenic-Imposed Effects on Schwertmannite and Jarosite Formation in Acid Mine Drainage and Coupled Impacts on Arsenic Mobility

Arsenic-Imposed Effects on Schwertmannite and Jarosite Formation in Acid Mine Drainage and Coupled Impacts on Arsenic Mobility

Effect of Environmental pH on Mineralization of Anaerobic Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria

The Evolution of Pollutant Concentrations in a River Severely Affected by Acid Mine Drainage: Río Tinto (SW Spain)

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