Arsenic Immobilization by Biological Scorodite Crystallization: Effect of High Ferric Concentration and Foreign Seeds

Abstract

Biological scorodite is produced at 80°C and 1g L-1 As5+, using iron oxidizing bacteria Acidianus Sulfidivorans, with a molar ratio Fe/As of 1 and without the use of seeds. We investigated the effect of high ferrous concentration, Fe/As higher than 1, and the use of foreign seeds (gypsum) on biological scorodite crystallization. The use of high ferrous concentrations resulted in a retardation of the time of crystallization due to the high concentration of ferric produced by a high biological oxidation. However, ferrous biological oxidation might be controlled to avoid this effect. The use of seeds did not improve the kinetics of crystallization. Nonetheless, a high arsenic removal rate was observed in the presence of seeds probably as a result of the formation of less stable scorodite.