Long-term Fate of Arsenic under the Oxidation of Ferrous Iron by Nitrate.

Abstract:

In situ precipitation of iron (Fe) minerals can be an effective means of remediating groundwater arsenic (As) contamination. Among different Fe minerals, magnetite is promising as a host-mineral for As in situ immobilization in that it is stable under a wide range of geochemical conditions, including Fe(III) reducing conditions under which As are often mobilized. Our previous laboratory studies suggest that the formation of nanoparticulate magnetite can be achieved by the oxidation of ferrous Fe with nitrate. Magnetite can incorporate As into its structure during formation, in which case desorption and As(V) reduction are less likely. Nanoparticulate magnetite, once formed, can also immobilize As by surface adsorption, and thus serve as a reactive filter when contaminated groundwater migrates through the treatment zone. In this study, a reactive transport model is develop for the magnetite based As immobilization strategy. The initial numerical model development was guided by experimental data and hypothesized processes from the laboratory one-dimensional column studies. Our modeling results suggest that the ratio between Fe(II) and nitrate in the injectant regulates the extent and distribution of magnetite and ferrihydrite formation, and thus regulates the long-term potential of As immobilization. Based on these results, two-dimensional field-scale model scenarios were developed to predict and compare the impact of chemical and operational parameters on the efficiency of the remediation technology. The modeling results, which suggest that long-term groundwater As removal is feasible, favor scenarios that rely on the chromatographic mixing of Fe(II) and nitrate after injection. This study highlights the importance of combining laboratory studies and reactive transport modeling for elucidating the complex hydro-biogeochemical processes that control the fate of As and for up-scaling of the technology.