Effect of manganese oxides on arsenic speciation and mobilization in different arsenic-adsorbed iron-minerals under microbially-reducing conditions

Abstract

The oxidation and immobilization of arsenic (As) by manganese oxides have been shown to reduce As toxicity and bioavailability under abiotic conditions. In this study, we investigate the impact of manganese oxide (δ-MnO2) on the fate of different Fe-minerals-adsorbed As in the presence of As(V)-reducing bacteria Bacillus sp. JQ. Results showed that in the absence of δ-MnO2, As release in goethite was much higher than in ferrihydrite and hematite during microbial reduction. Adding 3.1 mM Mn reduced As release by 0.3%, 46.3%, and 6.7% in the ferrihydrite, goethite, and hematite groups, respectively. However, aqueous As was dominated by As(III) in the end, because the oxidation effect of δ-MnO2 was limited and short-lived. Additionally, the fraction of solid-phase As(V) increased by 9.8% in ferrihydrite, 39.4% in goethite, and 7.4% in hematite in the high-Mn treatments, indicating that δ-MnO2 had the most significant oxidation and immobilization effect on goethite-adsorbed As. This was achieved because goethite particles were evenly distributed on δ-MnO2 surface, which supported As(III) oxidation by δ-MnO2; while ferrihydrite strongly aggregated, which hindered the oxidation of As(III). Our study shows that As-oxidation and immobilization by manganese oxides cannot easily be assessed without considering the mineral composition and microbial conditions of soils.