A molecular level understanding of antimony immobilization mechanism on goethite by the combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations

Antimony and arsenic interactions with iron oxides and aluminum oxides in surface environment: A review focused on processes and mechanisms

It has been assumed and widely reported that arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) share some similarities but also exhibit significant differences in their geochemical behaviors. Their environmental fates are generally controlled by iron (Fe) oxides and aluminum (Al) oxides. The mechanistic differences in their interactions, especially under dynamic environmental conditions, remain poorly understood, which hinders the development and implementation of effective pollution prevention and control measures. Therefore, this review focuses on the processes and mechanisms of interactions between As/Sb and Fe oxides/Al oxides. Antimony exhibits a higher susceptibility to oxidation than As due to its larger atomic radius and lower electronegativity. The property is an important basis for explaining the differences in their interactions in the environment. To obtain a clearer understanding of interactions, a detailed adsorption theory (charge distribution multi-site ion complexation) for the Fe oxides and Al oxides and three primary adsorption mechanisms (electrostatic adsorption, chemical adsorption, and coprecipitation) were explored. Furthermore, the effects of various factors (pH, redox, surface coverage, competing ions, and types of Fe oxides and Al oxides) on the adsorption efficiency were evaluated. We discussed the mechanisms and efficiency of Sb and As adsorption on Fe oxides and Al oxides, and the differences in Sb and As adsorption for various valence states. To efficiently control Sb and As pollution, some differences between Sb and As need to be taken into account.

Compositional Differences of Various Sorption States of Cu and Cd on Goethite in the Presence of Oxyanions: A Quantitative Study

The anionic species of antimony(V) and phosphate(V) are commonly found in the contaminated soil of mining areas, exerting a significant influence on the sorption of heavy metals and thus affecting their migration. This study quantitatively discussed the sorption mechanism of Sb and P in promoting the sorption of Cd or Cu on goethite through a series of extraction methods. In the single sorption system, the majority of Cu (87-98%) is adsorbed on goethite in the form of EDTA-extractable Cu (EF Cu, possibly inner-sphere complexes) under pH conditions of 3.5-6.5. Cadmium is primarily adsorbed in the form of EDTA-extractable Cd (49-71%), with a considerable amount of Mg(NO3)2 extractable Cd (MF Cd, possibly outer-sphere complexes) also present (25-51%), within the pH range of 4.5-7.5. The presence of either Sb or P greatly enhances the sorption of Cd and Cu on goethite, although the mechanisms differ significantly. Sb enhances the sorption of Cu mainly by increasing the amount of EF Cu (61.7-68.1% of total Cu enhancement), with less significant effects on MF Cu. Furthermore, Sb shows similar enhancing effects on both MF Cd and EF Cd. As the pH increases, the enhancing effects of Sb on various forms of Cu and Cd decrease. Phosphate mainly promotes the formation of MF Cu and MF Cd, accounting for 53.9- 80.8% (Cu) and 78.0-94.9% (Cd) of total enhancement at different pH levels. ΔMF and ΔEF Cu increase with increasing pH when P is present, while ΔMF/ΔEF Cd remains essentially constant. Based on the extracted results and characterization analysis, the main mechanism of synergistic sorption between elements was discussed, and the connection modes of elements at the goethite interface were preliminarily speculated. The results indicate that the promotion of oxyanions on the fixation of heavy metal cations is more complex than expected, making it difficult to describe using only one mechanism.

Coating development on mine waste rocks as a protective sink to attenuate the off-site migration of antimony in the environment

This study explored the feasibility of depositing protective coatings with an Sb scavenger function on mine waste rocks derived from the exploitation of stibnite deposits. Encapsulation treatments were performed using ferrous sulfate as the coating precursor. Different Fe/Sbleachable molar ratios (0.1, 1, and 10) were evaluated using hydrothermal and thermal processes at various temperatures (30, 50, 100, and 150 °C). The environmental characterization of the coated mine waste was established using standard leaching tests. The most effective coatings were analyzed for their mineralogy, chemical composition, and Sb attenuation using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and digestion/extraction processes. Additionally, stability tests were conducted to assess the effectiveness of encapsulation under changing environmental conditions. The Fe/Sbleachable molar ratio was found to be a critical factor in reverting the toxic and hazardous characteristics of mine wastes, with an optimal value of 10. The coatings were primarily composed of Fe oxyhydroxy sulfates/Fe oxyhydroxides and calcium sulfate minerals with a bulk Sb content of approximately 1 %. The adsorbed Sb content in the coatings was a small fraction of the total Sb content (< 0.5 %), indicating a strong retention. Moreover, such coatings were stable under different pH (3-8) and redox (100 to -100 mV) conditions.

Unveiling interfacial interaction between antimony oxyanions and boehmite nanorods: Spectroscopic evidence and density functional theory analysis

In natural environments, the fate and migratory behavior of metalloid contaminants such as antimony (Sb) significantly depend on the interfacial reactivity of mineral surfaces. Although boehmite (γ-AlOOH) is widely observed in (sub)surface environments, its underlying interaction mechanism with Sb oxyanions at the molecular scale remains unclear. Considering Sb-contaminated environmental conditions in this study, we prepared boehmite under weakly acidic conditions for use in the systematic investigation of interfacial interactions with Sb(III) and Sb(V). The as-synthesized boehmite showed a nanorod morphology and comprised four crystal facets in the following order: 48.4% (010), 27.1% (101), 15.0% (001), and 9.5% (100). The combined results of spectroscopic analyses and theoretical calculations revealed that Sb(III) formed hydrogen bonding outer-sphere complexation on the (100), (010), and (001) facets and that Sb(V) preferred to form bidentate inner-sphere complexation via mononuclear edge-sharing configuration on the (100), (001), and (101) facets and binuclear corner-sharing configuration on the (010) facet. These findings indicate that the facet-mediated thermodynamic stability of the surface complexation determines the interaction affinity toward the Sb species. This work is the first to document the contribution of boehmite to (sub)surface media, improving the ability to forecast the fate and behavior of Sb oxyanions at mineral-water interfaces.

Antimony mobility in soil near historical waste rock at the world's largest Sb mine, Central China

Soil near waste rock often contains high concentrations of antimony (Sb), but the mechanisms that mobilize Sb in a soil closely impacted by the waste rock piles are not well understood. We investigated these mobility mechanisms in soils near historical waste rock at the world's largest Sb mine. The sequential extraction (BCR) of soil reveal that over 95 % Sb is present in the residual fraction. The leached Sb concentration is related to the surface protonation and deprotonation of soil minerals. SEM-EDS shows Sb in the soil is associated with Fe and Ca. Moreover, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) results show Sb is predominantly present as Sb(V) and is associated with Fe in the form of tripuhyite (FeSbO4) as well as edge- and corner-sharing complexes on ferrihydrite and goethite. Thus, Fe in soils is important in controlling the mobility of Sb via surface complexation and co-precipitation of Sb by Fe oxides. The initially surface-adsorbed Sb(V) or co-precipitation is likely to undergo a phase transformation as the Fe oxides age. In addition, Sb mobility may be controlled by small amounts of calcium antimonate. These results further the understanding of the effect of secondary minerals in soils on the fate of Sb from waste rock weathering and inform source treatment for Sb-contaminated soils.

The uptake, transportation, and chemical speciation of Sb(III) and Sb(V) by wetland plants Arundinoideae (Phragmites australis) and Potamogetonaceae (Potamogeton crispus)

Antimony (Sb) is increasingly released and poses a risk to the environment and human health. Antimonite (Sb(III)) oxidation can decrease Sb toxicity, but the current knowledge regarding the effects of Sb(III) and antimonate (Sb(V)) exposure is limited to wetland plants, especially the Sb speciation in plants. In this study, Phragmites australis and Potamogeton crispus were exposed to 10 and 30 mg/L Sb(III) or Sb(V) for 20 days. The total concentration, subcellular distribution, and concentration in the iron plaque of Sb were determined. The Sb speciation in plants was analyzed by HPLC-ICP-MS. It illustrated that Sb(III) exposure led to more Sb accumulation in plants than Sb(V) treatments, with the highest Sb concentration of 405.35 and 3218 mg/kg in Phragmites australis and Potamogeton crispus, respectively. In the subcellular distribution of Sb, accumulation of Sb mainly occurred in cell walls and cell cytosol. In Phragmites australis, the transport factor in the Sb(V) treatments was about 3 times higher than the Sb(III) treatments, however, it was lower in the Sb(V) treatments than Sb(III) treatments for Potamogeton crispus. Sb(V) was detected in the plants of Sb(III) treatments with different Sb(V)-total Sb vitro (Phragmites australis: 34 % and, Potamogeton crispus: 15 %), moreover, Sb(V) was also detected in the nutrient solution of Sb(III) treatments. Antimony exposure caused a reduction of the iron plaque formation, at the same time, the root aerenchyma formation was disrupted, and this phenomenon is more pronounced in the Sb(III) treatments. Moreover, the iron plaque has a higher sorption potential to Sb under Sb(III) exposure than that under Sb(V) exposure. The results can fill the gap for antinomy speciation in wetland plants and expand the current knowledge regarding the Sb translocation in wetland systems.

Understanding the goethite role on stibnite oxidative dissolution and transformation: Spectroscopic and DFT study

The geochemical cycling of antimony (Sb) in aquatic system is primarily influenced by the dissolution and transformation of stibnite (Sb2S3) in the presence of iron minerals. Here, Sb2S3 oxidative dissolution and sequestration on goethite were investigated to mimic the environmental fate of Sb2S3. The results demonstrated that goethite accelerated the rate of Sb2S3 oxidative dissolution by a factor of 9.4 times under sunlight. The significant Sb2S3 oxidation on goethite was attributed to a heterogeneous electron transfer from Sb2S3 to goethite, as proved by XANES analysis. This electron transfer facilitated the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH) on Sb2S3, and superoxide radicals (O2-) on goethite. Radical trapping experiments confirmed that O2- was the dominant oxidant for Sb(III) oxidation with 91 % contribution. Thus, goethite plays a dominant role in O2- generation and Sb2S3 oxidative dissolution. Meanwhile, the total dissolved Sb was decreased by 69 % in Sb2S3 and goethite coexisting system compared to a single Sb2S3 system, indicating the retention of dissolved Sb on goethite. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations deciphered that Sb(III) oxidation on mineral-water interfaces with O2- radicals was thermodynamically preferential to OH radicals. Additionally, the Sb was anchored on goethite as a bidentate binuclear structure with a favorable adsorption energy. Our findings shed the light to understand the geochemical cycles of Sb2S3 in natural environment.

Preparation and Density Functional Theory Studies of Aluminosilicate-Based Ceramic Solidified Products for Sr Immobilization

Strontium is a common radionuclide in radioactive waste, and its release into the environment can cause enormous damage to the ecosystem environment. In this study, the natural mineral allophane was selected as the substrate to prepare solidified ceramic products by cold pressing/sintering to solve the problem of the final disposal of radioactive strontium. Ceramic solidified products with various crystal structures were successfully prepared, and the microscopic morphology and energy-dispersive spectroscopy images of the samples showed a uniform distribution of Sr in the solidified products. Sr2Al2SiO7 and SrAl2Si2O8, which can stably solidify strontium, were formed in the solidified products, and the structural characteristics and stability of the above-mentioned substances were analyzed from the perspective of quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory. The calculation results showed that the overall deformation resistance of Sr2Al2SiO7 was higher than that of SrAl2Si2O8. Considering the isomorphic substitution effect of CaO impurities, we inferred that a mixed-crystalline structure of Ca2-xSrxAl2SiO7 may be present in the solidified products.