Insight into the model quinone compound AQDS mediated the Mn(II) abiotic oxidation and mineral mineralization on hematite surface under oxic and neutral conditions

Abstract

Oxidation of Mn(II) and the subsequent mineral mineralization can significantly influence the transport and fate of trace metals and organic pollutants in the soil and sediment environments. Abiotic oxidation of Mn(II) on the surface of Fe mineral in the open air is a vital formation pathway of Mn (oxyhydr)oxides; however, the impact of electron shuttle substances at neutral pH has seldomly been reported. Anthraquinone-2, 6-disulfonate (AQDS) is a typical electron shuttle and might affect the abiotic oxidation of Mn(II). In this study, abiotic oxidation of Mn(II) on the surface of a hematite substrate and mineralization of oxidation product in the presence of AQDS (0–1 mM) were investigated at pH 7.5 in the open air. In the Mn(II)-AQDS treatments, most Mn(II) remained in solution, suggesting that AQDS shows little catalytic activity in the abiotic oxidation of Mn(II) without hematite present. By contrast, Mn(II) was rapidly oxidized, and oxidation rates increased from 4.2 × 10−2 to 8.8 × 10−2 h−1 with increasing AQDS concentration from 0 to 1 mM in the hematite-Mn(II)-AQDS treatments. Abiotic oxidation of Mn(II) produced granular-like Mn3O4, fibrous-like β-MnOOH, and rod-like γ-MnOOH, and no other secondary Fe minerals were found. The proposed mechanism of the AQDS-mediated abiotic oxidation of Mn(II) on a hematite surface is the AQDS serving as an electronic medium with semiconductor hematite as a foreign substrate, promoting electron transfer between oxygen and Mn(II) on its surface. Our results revealed that electron mediators impart crucial control on not only the rate but also the compositions of Mn(II) oxidation product. The findings of this study provide new insights into the geochemical functions of electron shuttles on the dynamics of redox-sensitive elements under oxic and neutral conditions and expand the understanding of interfacial heterogeneous nucleation reactions at the molecular scale.