Reduction of adsorbed As(V) on nano-TiO2 by sulfate-reducing bacteria

Abstract

Reduction of surface-bound arsenate [As(V)] and subsequent release into the aqueous phase contribute to elevated As in groundwater. However, this natural process is not fully understood, especially in the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Gaining mechanistic insights into solid-As(V)-SRB interactions motivated our molecular level study on the fate of nano-TiO2 bound As(V) in the presence of Desulfovibrio vulgaris DP4, a strain of SRB, using incubation and in situ ATR-FTIR experiments. The incubation results clearly revealed the reduction of As(V), either adsorbed on nano-TiO2 or dissolved, in the presence of SRB. In contrast, this As(V) reduction was not observed in abiotic control experiments where sulfide was used as the reductant. Moreover, the reduction was faster for surface-bound As(V) than for dissolved As(V), as evidenced by the appearance of As(III) at 45h and 75h, respectively. ATR-FTIR results provided direct evidence that the surface-bound As(V) was reduced to As(III) on TiO2 surfaces in the presence of SRB. In addition, the As(V) desorption from nano-TiO2 was promoted by SRB relative to abiotic sulfide, due to the competition between As(V) and bacterial phosphate groups for TiO2 surface sites. This competition was corroborated by the ATR-FTIR analysis, which showed inner-sphere surface complex formation by bacterial phosphate groups on TiO2 surfaces. The results from this study highlight the importance of indirect bacteria-mediated As(V) reduction and release in geochemical systems.