Adsorption of Selenite and Selenate on Ferrihydrite in the Presence and Absence of Dissolved Organic Carbon

Selenium removal from water using adsorbents: A critical review

Selenium (Se) has become an increasingly serious water contamination concern worldwide. It is an essential micronutrient for humans and animals, however, can be extremely toxic if taken in excess. Sorption can be an effective treatment for Se removal from a wide range of water matrices. However, despite the synthesis and application of numerous adsorbents for remediation of aqueous Se, there has been no comprehensive review of the sorption capacities of various natural and synthesized sorbents. Herein, literature from 2010 to 2021 considering Se remediation using 112 adsorbents has been critically reviewed and presented in several comprehensive tables including: clay minerals and waste materials (presented in Table 1); zero-valent iron, iron oxides, and binary iron-based adsorbents (Table 2); other metals-based adsorbents (Table 3); carbon-based adsorbents (Table 4); and other adsorbents (Table 5). Each of these tables, and their relevant sections, summarizes preparation/modification methods, sorption capacities of various Se adsorbents, and proposed model/mechanisms of adsorption. Furthermore, future perspectives have been provided to assist in filling noted research gaps for the development of efficient Se adsorbents for real-world applications. This review will help in preliminary screening of various sorbent media to set up Se treatment technologies for a variety of end-users worldwide.

Soil-plant-animal relationships and geochemistry of selenium in the Western Phosphate Resource Area (United States): A review

While naturally found in trace quantities, several regions throughout the world have been designated as "seleniferous" or containing an overabundance of the trace element, selenium (Se), in soil. In particular, portions of the Western Phosphate Resource Area (WPRA) of the United States are considered seleniferous, notably due to past phosphate mining reclamation practices that have promoted Se release and accumulation in soil from weathering overburden waste rock. Concern over Se soil contamination in this region has been attributed to its high levels (ranging from 2.7 to 435 mg Se kg^-1 soil), bioavailability, and subsequent hyperaccumulation in vegetation at toxic concentrations (exceeding 10,000 mg Se kg^-1 plant tissue). The Se hyperaccumulator, western aster (Symphyotrichum ascendens (Lindl.)), is responsible for the vast majority of acute selenium livestock poisonings and fatalities throughout the region. This inherent bioavailability is largely controlled by soil redox chemistry and sorptive processes. The purpose of this review is to integrate information related to the unique site history of the WPRA from onset mining to current Se problems. This review will provide current details and connection of WPRA mining geology, soil Se geochemistry, plant hyperaccumulation, and related livestock fatalities. Soil remediation strategies will also be discussed along with their applicability and viability in this particular anthropogenically-influenced seleniferous region.

Effects of EDTA on adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by soil minerals in low-permeability layers: batch experiments and microscopic characterization

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) can serve as a washing agent in the remediation of low-permeability layers contaminated by heavy metals (HMs). Therefore, batch adsorption experiments, where pure quartz (SM1) and mineral mixtures (SM2) were used as typical soil minerals (SMs) in low-permeability layers, were implemented to explore the effects of different EDTA concentrations, pH, and exogenous chemicals on the HM-SM-EDTA adsorption system. As the EDTA concentration increased, it gradually cut down the maximum Cd adsorption capacities of SM1 and SM2 from approximately 135 to 55 mg/kg and 2660 to 1453 mg/kg; and the maximum Pb adsorption capacities of SM1 and SM2 were reduced from 660 to 306 mg/kg and 19,677 to 19,262 mg/kg, respectively. When the initial mole ratio (MR = moles of HM ions/sum of moles of HM ions and EDTA) was closer to 0.5, the effect of EDTA was more effective. Additionally, EDTA worked well at pH below 7.0 and 4.0 for Cd and Pb, respectively. Low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) affected the system mainly by bridging, complexation, adsorption site competition, and reductive dissolution. Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺ ions could significantly increase the Cd and Pb adsorption onto SM2. Notably, there were characteristic changes in mineral particles, including attachment of EDTA and microparticles, agglomeration, connection, and smoother surfaces, making the specific surface area (SSA) decrease from 16.73 to 12.59 m²/g. All findings indicated that EDTA could effectively and economically reduce the HM adsorption capacity of SMs at the reasonable MR value, contact time, and pH; EDTA reduced the HM adsorption capacity of SMs not only by complexation with HM ions but also by decreasing SSA and blocking active sites. Hence, the acquired insight from the presented study can help to promote the remediation of contaminated low-permeability layers in groundwater.

Citrate Controls Fe(II)-Catalyzed Transformation of Ferrihydrite by Complexation of the Labile Fe(III) Intermediate

Ferrihydrite (Fh) is generally associated with dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural environments due to a strong sorption affinity at circumneutral pH and its high specific surface area. In suboxic conditions, aqueous Fe(II) (Fe(II)_aq) can catalyze transformation of Fh into more stable crystalline Fe(III) phases, but how DOM influences the transformation kinetics and pathway is still unclear. Using citrate as a surrogate, we have examined Fh transformation with 1 mM Fe(II)_aq and 0-60 μM citrate at pH 7.2. We focus on quantifying the time-dependent concentrations of sorbed Fe(II), structural Fe(II), and a key intermediate species, labile Fe(III) (Fe(III)_labile), resulting from interfacial electron transfer (IET), and how these species correlate with the evolution of lepidocrocite (Lp), magnetite (Mt), and goethite (Gt) products. Low concentrations of citrate significantly impact the proportions of Lp/Gt, and the collective results reveal that its effect is primarily through its ability to complex labile Fe(III) and thereby disrupt polymerization into product crystallites, as opposed to modifying the surface properties of Fh or inhibiting IET. The emergence of a Mt coprecipitate is observed in the transformation experiments with 5-10 μM citrate, when the Fe(II)/Fe(III)_labile ratio on/near the Fh surface is close to 0.5, the stoichiometric Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio in Mt. At the molecular level, the findings suggest that citrate, and by extension DOM, can modify the relative rates of olation and oxolation reactions that assemble labile Fe(III) into various product minerals.

Efficient oxidation and adsorption of As(III) and As(V) in water using a Fenton-like reagent, (ferrihydrite)-loaded biochar

The by-product of the traditional Fenton reaction, colloidal arsenic-‑iron oxide, is migratable and may cause secondary environmental pollution. This paper reported a new strategy involving oxidizing and immobilizing inorganic arsenic using the Fenton reaction, and avoiding the risk of secondary contamination. Lab synthesized ferrihydrite-loaded biochar (FhBC) was developed for oxidizing and binding As(III) and As(V) in aqueous solution. Batch experiments and a series of spectrum analysis (e.g., X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy [XPS], electron paramagnetic resonance [EPR], and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy [FTIR]) were conducted to study the oxidizing or adsorption capacity and mechanism. The maximum adsorption capacity of FhBC for As(III) and As(V) is 1.315 and 1.325 mmol/g, respectively. In addition, FhBC has an efficient oxidizing capacity within a wide pH range, which is because biochar promotes the Fenton reaction by acting as an electron donator, electron shuttler, or by providing persistent free radicals. Moreover, the adsorption mechanism was studied by FTIR spectroscopy, XPS, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The formation of internal spherical complexes and iron oxides with a higher degree of crystallization was observed, which indicate that the products of adsorption are stable and robust in a complex environment and can exist in a highly crystallized form after adsorbing arsenic ions. Therefore, the use of FhBC as an adsorbent for arsenic represents a new strategy of using the Fenton reaction while reducing secondary contamination. These results may contribute to further mechanistic studies or extensive practical applications of FhBC.

Impact of low-molecular weight organic acids on selenite immobilization by goethite: Understanding a competitive-synergistic coupling effect and speciation transformation

The interactions between low-molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) and selenium (Se) on mineral/water interfaces affect the release, immobilization and bioavailability of Se in nature. Herein, the effects of three environmentally relevant LMWOAs (i.e., oxalic (Oxa), succinic (Suc) and citric (Cit) acids) on Se(IV) adsorption to goethite under oxic conditions were investigated using batch experiments, speciation fractionation, and ATR-FTIR and XPS analyses. The LMWOAs exhibited a competitive-synergistic coupling effect on Se(IV) adsorption to goethite, which inhibited the adsorption rate of Se(IV) by 14.1, 13.3 and 8.0 times. However, immobilization of Se(IV) was simultaneously enhanced by 39.1%, 34.6% and 14.1% in the following order Oxa > Suc > Cit. The results obtained by fractionation of the adsorbed Se(IV) revealed that the enhancement was due to surface binding as well as speciation transformation from ligand-exchangeable Se(IV) into residual fractions, which increased by approximately 18% in the presence of the LMWOAs. The dissolution of goethite significantly improved due to the LMWOAs and decreased to different degrees as the concentration of Se(IV) increased. The monodentate mononuclear complexes (58.2%) and Lewis base sites bonded Se (41.8%) were the predominant surface species of Se(IV) in goethite-Se(IV) system. The ATR-FTIR and high-resolution XPS analyses demonstrated that the formation of ≡FeO(SeO)O-CO surface complexes (22.8-27.0%) occurred in the presence of LMWOAs, which could be closely correlated with the interface-mediated reduction of Se(IV). In addition, the predominant mechanism for the formation of residual Se is LMWOA specific, in which ferric selenite-like precipitation was dominant for Suc (10.6%) and Cit (11.6%) and reduction was dominant for Oxa (17.5%). Overall, LMWOAs play an important role in Se(IV) immobilization and speciation transformation and may facilitate understanding the Se bioavailability in rhizosphere soils under oxic conditions.

Effects of straw amendment on selenium aging in soils: Mechanism and influential factors

Soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) alters heavy metal availability, but whether straw amendment can manipulate soil selenium (Se) speciation and availability through DOM mineralization remains unclear. In this study, allochthonous maize straw and selenate were incubated together in four different soils for 1 y. The transformation and availability of DOM associated Se (DOM-Se) was investigated during aging. Results indicated that soil solution and soil particle surfaces were dominated by hexavalent hydrophilic acid-bound Se (Hy-Se). The amount of fulvic acid bound Se in soil solution (SOL-FA-Se) was higher than humic acid bound Se in soil solution (SOL-HA-Se), except in krasnozems, and mainly existed as hexavalent Se (Se(VI)). Tetravalent Se (Se(IV)) was the main valence state of FA-Se adsorbed on soil particle surfaces (EX-FA-Se) after 5 w of aging. The proportion of soil-available Se (SOL + EX-Se) decreased with increasing straw rate. However, under an application rate of 7500 kg·hm^-2, soluble Se fraction (SOL-Se) reduction was minimal in acidic soils (18.7%-34.7%), and the organic bound Se fraction (OM-Se) was maximally promoted in alkaline soils (18.2%-39.1%). FA and HON could enhance the availability of Se in the soil solution and on particle surfaces of acidic soil with high organic matter content. While Se incorporation with HA could accelerate the fixation of Se into the solid phase of soil. Three mechanisms were involved in DOM-Se aging: (1) Reduction, ligand adsorption, and inner/outer-sphere complexation associated with the functional groups of straw-derived DOM, including hydroxyls, carboxyl, methyl, and aromatic phenolic compounds; (2) interconnection of EX-FA-Se between non-residual and residual Se pools; and (3) promotion by soil electrical conductivity (EC), clay, OM, and straw application. The dual effect of DOM on Se aging was highly reliant on the characteristics of the materials and soil properties. In conclusion, straw amendment could return selenium in soil and reduce soluble Se loss.