Proton interaction in phosphate adsorption onto goethite

The adsorption of phosphate on goethite is generally modeled by assuming a simple ligand exchange reaction with surface hydroxyl groups. This study investigates the binding forms of phosphate on goethite by evaluating the proton interaction and surface charge change during phosphate adsorption. It is found that OH(-) release stoichiometry increases with phosphate coverage, which suggests that different mechanisms predominate at different phosphate loadings. It demonstrates that surface binding changes from monodentate complexation to bidentate complexation with increasing surface phosphate coverage. The net OH(-) release accompanying this transformation is best interpreted with a 2pK(a) multisite model.     

Effects of heavy metals and oxalate on the zeta potential of magnetite

Zeta potential is a function of surface coverage by charged species at a given pH, and it is theoretically determined by the activity of the species in solution. The zeta potentials of particles occurring in soils, such as clay and iron oxide minerals, directly affect the efficiency of the electrokinetic soil remediation. In this study, zeta potential of natural magnetite was studied by conducting electrophoretic mobility measurements in single and binary solution systems. It was shown that adsorption of charged species of Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), Pb(2+), and Cd(2+) and precipitation of their hydroxides at the mineral surface are dominant processes in the charging of the surface in high alkaline suspensions. Taking Pb(2+) as an example, three different mechanisms were proposed for its effect on the surface charge: if pH<5, competitive adsorption with H(3)O(+); if 56, precipitation of heavy metal hydroxides prevails. Oxalate anion changed the associated surface charge by neutralizing surface positive charges by complexing with iron at the surface, and ultimately reversed the surface to a negative zeta potential. Therefore the adsorption ability of heavy metal ions ultimately changed in the presence of oxalate ion. The changes in the zeta potentials of the magnetite suspensions with solution pH before and after adsorption were utilized to estimate the adsorption ability of heavy metal ions. The mechanisms for heavy metals and oxalate adsorption on magnetite were discussed in the view of the experimental results and published data.     

Adsorption of humic acid on goethite: isotherms, charge adjustments, and potential profiles

The adsorption of natural organic matter (NOM) on mineral (hydr)oxide plays an important role in the evaluation of the speciation of toxic metal ions in the environment. Because both NOM and mineral oxide have variable charges that adjust upon adsorption, a good understanding of proton binding is required before the binding of metal ions can be understood. In this study, the adsorption of purified Aldrich humic acid (PAHA) on goethite was examined as a function of the environmental conditions (pH, salt concentration, and free concentration of PAHA) together with the proton adsorption to PAHA, goethite, and their mixtures. The induced charges on both components were separated on the basis of the difference between the charge/pH curves of the mixture and those of the single components. The electrostatic potential profile across the adsorbed layer was obtained as a numerical solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation using the charge density of the adsorbed PAHA and the goethite surface. From the quantitative evaluation of the induced charge on both components, it is revealed that the degree of the charge adjustment is related to the electrostatic affinity between the PAHA segments and the goethite surface, the electrostatic repulsion between the PAHA segments, and the electrostatic shielding by salt ions. Considering the charge distribution of the adsorbed PAHA at the goethite surface, it is concluded that the change of the charge adjustment is sensitive to that of the conformation of the adsorbed PAHA. From the detailed inspection of the assumptions made and the comparison with the reported theoretical calculations, the obtained potential profiles are considered to broadly reflect the true potential profiles. Because a charge adjustment is not frequently considered in detail in relation to the NOM adsorption on metal (hydr)oxides, the obtained results can form the basis for the further development of modeling of the adsorption of NOM on (hydr)oxide surfaces.     

Carbonate adsorption on goethite in competition with phosphate

Competitive interaction of carbonate and phosphate on goethite has been studied quantitatively. Both anions are omnipresent in soils, sediments, and other natural systems. The PO4-CO3 interaction has been studied in binary goethite systems containing 0-0.5 M (bi)carbonate, showing the change in the phosphate concentration as a function of pH, goethite concentration, and carbonate loading. In addition, single ion systems have been used to study carbonate adsorption as a function of pH and initial (H)CO3 concentration. The experimental data have been described with the charge distribution (CD) model. The charge distributions of the inner-sphere surface complexes of phosphate and carbonate have been calculated separately using the equilibrium geometries of the surface complexes, which have been optimized with molecular orbital calculations applying density functional theory (MO/DFT). In the CD modeling, we rely for phosphate on recent parameters from the literature. For carbonate, the surface speciation and affinity constants have been found by modeling the competitive effect of CO3 on the phosphate concentration in CO3-PO4 systems. The CO3 constants obtained can also predict the carbonate adsorption in the absence of phosphate very well. A combination of inner- and outer-sphere CO3 complexation is found. The carbonate adsorption is dominated by a bidentate inner-sphere complex, (FeO)2CO. This binuclear bidentate complex can be present in two different geometries that may have a different IR behavior. At a high PO(4) and CO3 loading and a high Na+ concentration, the inner-sphere carbonate complex interacts with a Na+ ion, probably in an outer-sphere fashion. The Na+ binding constant obtained is representative of Na-carbonate complexation in solution. Outer-sphere complex formation is found to be unimportant. The binding constant is comparable with the outer-sphere complexation constants of, e.g., SO(2-)4 and SeO(2-)4.     

Adsorption, desorption, and surface-promoted hydrolysis of glucose-1-phosphate in aqueous goethite (α-FeOOH) suspensions

Adsorption, desorption, and precipitation reactions at environmental interfaces govern the fate of phosphorus in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Typically, a substantial part of the total pool of phosphorus consists of organophosphate, and in this study we have focused on the interactions between glucose-1-phosphate (G1P) and goethite (α-FeOOH) particles. The adsorption and surface-promoted hydrolysis reactions have been studied at room temperature as a function of pH, time, and total concentration of G1P by means of quantitative batch experiments in combination with infrared spectroscopy. A novel simultaneous infrared and potentiometric titration (SIPT) technique has also been used to study the rates and mechanisms of desorption of the surface complexes. The results have shown that G1P adsorption occurs over a wide pH interval and at pH values above the isoelectric point of goethite (IEP(goethite) = 9.4), indicating a comparatively strong interaction with the particle surfaces. As evidenced by IR spectroscopy, G1P formed pH-dependent surface complexes on goethite, and investigations of both adsorption and desorption processes were consistent with a model including three types of surface complexes. These complexes interact monodentately with surface Fe but differ in hydrogen bonding interactions via the auxiliary oxygens of the phosphate group. The apparent desorption rates were shown to be influenced by reaction pathways that include interconversion of surface species, which highlights the difficulty in determining the intrinsic desorption rates of individual surface complexes. Desorption results have also indicated that the molecular structures of surface complexes and the surface charge are two important determinants of G1P desorption rates. Finally, this study has shown that surface-promoted hydrolysis of G1P by goethite is base-catalyzed but that the extent of hydrolysis was small.     

An investigation of the mode of sorption of inositol hexaphosphate to goethite

Adsorption of inositol hexaphosphate (IP(6)) on goethite has been studied as a function of pH and concentration, and by use of Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). While adsorption was highest at low pH, a significant amount remained adsorbed above pH 10 where, in the absence of IP(6), the surface is expected to have a net negative charge. The adsorption isotherm at pH 5.5 indicated strong binding to the surface with each adsorbed species occupying about 2.5 nm(2). ATR-FTIR spectra of IP(6) solutions in the pH range from 2 to 12 were fitted with a single set of IR bands which were assigned primarily by analogy with phosphate spectra. From its variation in intensity with pH the band at 1040 cm(-1) was assigned to the effect of hydrogen bonding on the PO vibration. No additional bands were required to fit the spectra of IP(6) adsorbed to goethite, indicating that adsorption occurs by outer-sphere complexation in this system. At all pH values studied the band associated with hydrogen bonding was more intense for the adsorbed species than in solution at the corresponding pH indicating that hydrogen bonding plays an important role in binding IP(6) to goethite.     

Effect of replacing a hydroxyl group with a methyl group on arsenic (V) species adsorption on goethite (alpha-FeOOH)

Arsenate and methylated arsenicals, such as dimethylarsinate (DMA) and monomethylarsonate (MMA), are being found with increasing frequency in natural water systems. The mobility and bioavailability of these arsenic species in the environment are strongly influenced by their interactions with mineral surface, especially iron and aluminum oxides. Goethite (alpha-FeOOH), one of the most abundant ferric (hydr)oxides in natural systems, has a high retention capacity for arsenic species. Unfortunately, the sorption mechanism for the species is not completely understood, which limits our ability to model their behavior in natural systems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of replacing a hydroxyl group with a methyl group on the adsorption behaviors of arsenic (V) species using adsorption edges, the influence of the background electrolyte on arsenic adsorption, and their effect on the zeta potential of goethite. The affinity of the three species to the goethite surface decreases in the order of AsO4=MMA>DMA. The uptake of DMA and MMA is independent of the concentration of background electrolyte, indicating that both species form inner-sphere complexes on the goethite surface and the most charge of adsorbed DMA and MMA locates at the surface plane. Arsenate uptake increases with increasing concentrations of background electrolyte at pH above 4, possibly due to that the charge of adsorbed arsenate is distributed between the surface plane and another electrostatic plane. DMA and lower concentrations of MMA have small effect on the zeta potential, whereas the zeta potential of goethite decreases in the presence of arsenate. The small effect on zeta potential of DMA or MMA adsorption suggests that the sorption sites for the anions is not important in controlling the surface charge. This observation is inconsistent with most adsorption models that postulate a singly coordinated hydroxyls contributing to both the adsorption and the surface charge, but supports the thesis that the charge on the goethite surface comes primarily from protonation of the triply bound oxygen atoms on the surface.     

The kinetic study of specific adsorption of phosphate species on Pt(111) in acidic solutions

The study of the adsorption/desorption mechanism of phosphate anions at Pt(111) in acidic solution of pH 4.3 and 0.8 was performed by the potential step method in order to reveal the kinetics of anion adsorption. The current-time curve due to phosphate adsorption/desorption showed various decay features, being dependent on the potential region. The rate of current decay depended on pH, being faster in a lower pH solution. Specific adsorption processes were analyzed by the Langmuir and Elovich adsorption equations and also in terms of a two-dimensional nucleation-growth mechanism in different adsorption/desorption regions. In the case of adsorption in 0.3M phosphate buffer solution of pH 4.3, random adsorption without interaction following the Langmuir adsorption, takes place at low coverage, while random adsorption with repulsive force was observed at high coverage. In the desorption process, random desorption with repulsive force takes place at high coverage, and the repulsive force disappears where random adsorption without interaction takes place at medium coverage. When the surface coverage becomes further lower, the desorption mechanism changes dramatically into a two-dimensional nucleation-growth type, suggesting that an ordered adsorbate structure is formed after a rapid discharge process of anion adsorption.     

Slow adsorption reaction between arsenic species and goethite (alpha-FeOOH): diffusion or heterogeneous surface reaction control

The slow stage of phosphate or arsenate adsorption on hydrous metal oxides frequently follows an Elovich equation. The equation can be derived by assuming kinetic control by either a diffusion process (either interparticle or intraparticle) or a heterogeneous surface reaction. The aim of this study is to determine whether the slow stage of arsenic adsorption on goethite is more consistent with diffusion or heterogeneous surface reaction control. Adsorption kinetics of arsenate and dimethylarsinate (DMA) on goethite (alpha-FeOOH) were investigated at different pH values and inert electrolyte concentrations. Their adsorption kinetics was described and compared using Elovich (Gamma vs ln time) plots. Desorption of arsenate and DMA was studied by increasing the pH of the suspension from pH 4.0 to pH 10.0 or 12.0. The effective particle sizes and zeta-potential of goethite were also determined. Effective particle size increased rapidly as the pH approached pH(IEP), both in the absence and presence of arsenic. Inert electrolyte concentrations and pH had no effect on the slow stage of arsenate adsorption on goethite, while the kinetics of DMA adsorption on goethite was influenced by both parameters. The slow stage of arsenate adsorption on goethite follows an Elovich equation. Since effective particle size changes with both pH and inert electrolyte concentrations, and effective particle size influences interparticle diffusion, the arsenate adsorption kinetics indicate that the slow adsorption step is not due to interparticle diffusion. DMA also has complex adsorption kinetics with a slow adsorption stage. DMA desorbed completely and rapidly when the pH was raised, in contrast to the slow adsorption kinetics, indicating that the slow adsorption step is not due to intraparticle diffusion. The slow adsorption is not the result of diffusion, but rather is due either to the heterogeneity of the surface site bonding energy or to other reactions controlling arsenic removal from solution.     

Surface complexes of monomethyl phosphate stabilized by hydrogen bonding on goethite (α-FeOOH) nanoparticles

Typically, a significant fraction of phosphorus in soils is composed of organic phosphates, and this fraction thus plays an important role in the global phosphorus cycle. Here we have studied adsorption of monomethyl phosphate (MMP) to goethite (α-FeOOH) as a model system in order to better understand the mechanisms behind adsorption of organic phosphates to soil minerals, and how adsorption affects the stability of these molecules. The adsorption reactions and stability of MMP on goethite were studied at room temperature as a function of pH, time and total concentration of MMP by means of quantitative batch experiments, potentiometry and infrared spectroscopy. MMP was found to be stable at the water-goethite interface within the pH region 3-9 and over extended periods of time, as well as in solution. The infrared spectra indicated that MMP formed three predominating pH-dependent surface complexes on goethite, and that these interacted monodentately with surface Fe. The complexes differed in hydrogen bonding interactions via the auxiliary oxygens of the phosphate group. The presented surface complexation model was based on the collective spectroscopic and macroscopic results, using the Basic Stern approach to describe the interfacial region. The model consisted of three monodentate inner sphere surface complexes where the MMP complexes were stabilized by hydrogen bonding to a neighboring surface site. The three complexes, which had equal proton content and thus could be defined as surface isomers, were distinguished by the distribution of charge over the 0-plane and β-plane. In the high pH-range, MMP acted as a hydrogen bond acceptor whereas it was a hydrogen bond donor at low pH.     

Effects of pH and ionic strength on the adsorption of phosphate and arsenate at the goethite-water interface

The surface properties of a well-crystallized synthetic goethite have been studied by acid-base potentiometric titrations, electrophoresis, and phosphate and arsenate adsorption isotherms at different pH and electrolyte concentrations. The PZC and IEP of the studied goethite were 9.3+/-0.1 and 9.3+/-0.2, respectively. Phosphate and arsenate adsorption decrease as the pH increases in either 0.1 or 0.01 M KNO(3) solutions. Phosphate adsorption is more sensitive to changes in pH and ionic strength than that of arsenate. The combined effects of pH and ionic strength result in higher phosphate adsorption in acidic media at most ionic strengths, but result in lower phosphate adsorption in basic media and low ionic strengths. The CD-MUSIC model yields rather good fit of the experimental data. For phosphate it was necessary to postulate the presence of three inner-sphere surface complexes (monodentate nonprotonated, bidentate nonprotonated, and bidentate protonated). In contrast, arsenate could be well described by postulating only the presence of the two bidenate species. A small improvement of the arsenate adsorption data could be achieved by assuming the presence of a monodentate protonated species. Model predictions are in agreement with spectroscopic evidence, which suggest, especially for the case of arsenate, that mainly bidentate inner-sphere complexes are formed at the goethite-water interface.     

Solution properties of perfluorinated anionic surfactants with divalent counterion of separate electric charges

Novel surfactants of perfluorinated double long-chain salts with divalent counterion of separate electric charge, 1,1-(1,omega-alkanediyl)bispyridinium diperfluorononanoate (CnBP(FC9)2, n = 2, 4, 6, 8) were newly synthesized. Their solution properties were investigated by surface tension measurement over the temperature range from 298.2 to 313.2 K, where magnesium diperfluorononanoate (Mg(FC9)2) was employed as a reference surfactant with divalent counterion of concentrated electric charge. From change of surface tension with concentration, the critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface excess (Gamma), apparent molecular surface area (A), and -log(concentration to reduce surface tension of water by 20 mN m-1) (pC20) were determined. The CMC values of CnBP(FC9)2 decreased with increasing charge separation and with increasing temperature, where the values of CnBP(FC9)2 were much smaller than those of Mg(FC9)2. In addition, the pC20 values of the former were also much larger than those of the latter. These results indicate a strong influence of the extent of charge separation or the spacer length of the counterions upon surface activity of the fluorinated surfactants. The surface excess or the corresponding apparent molecular surface area monotonously changed with the spacer length (n < or = 6), whereas the behavior for n = 8 was much different from the other CnBP(FC9)2 due to conformational change in the in-between alkanediyl chain. The entropy changes (Deltas) for the surface adsorption or condensation were found to be mostly negative for CnBP(FC9)2, where the changes approached zero with an increase in the charge separation. On the other hand, the changes for Mg(FC9)2 were positive over the whole concentration below the CMC. In addition, Brewster angle microscopy indicated no condensation of the present surfactants just at the air/solution interface.     

Kinetics of phosphate adsorption on goethite: comparing batch adsorption and ATR-IR measurements

The adsorption kinetics of phosphate on goethite has been studied by batch adsorption experiments and by in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy at different pH, initial phosphate concentrations and stirring rates. Batch adsorption results are very similar to those reported by several authors, and show a rather fast initial adsorption taking place in a few minutes followed by a slower process taking place in days or weeks. The adsorption kinetics could be also monitored by integrating the phosphate signals obtained in ATR-IR experiments, and a very good agreement between both techniques was found. At pH 4.5 two surface complexes, the bidentate nonprotonated (FeO)(2)PO(2) and the bidentate protonated (FeO)(2)(OH)PO complexes, are formed at the surface. There are small changes in the relative concentrations of these species as the reaction proceeds, and they seem to evolve in time rather independently. At pH 7.5 and 9 the dominating surface species is (FeO)(2)PO(2), which is accompanied by an extra unidentified species at low concentration. They also seem to evolve independently as the reaction proceeds. The results are consistent with a mechanism that involve a fast adsorption followed by a slow diffusion into pores, and are not consistent with surface precipitation of iron phosphate.     

Adsorption of humic acids onto goethite: effects of molar mass, pH and ionic strength

In this paper, the LCD (ligand charge distribution) model is applied to describe the adsorption of (Tongbersven) humic acid (HA) to goethite. The model considers both electrostatic interactions and chemical binding between HA and goethite. The large size of HA particles limits their close access to the surface. Part of the adsorbed HA particles is located in the compact part at the goethite surface (Stern layers) and the rest in the less structured diffuse double layer (DDL). The model can describe the effects of pH, ionic strength, and loading on the adsorption. Compared to fulvic acid (FA), adsorption of HA is stronger and more pH- and ionic-strength-dependent. The larger number of reactive groups on each HA particle than on a FA particle results in the stronger HA adsorption observed. The stronger pH dependency in HA adsorption is related to the larger number of protons that are coadsorbed with HA due to the higher charge carried by a HA particle than by a FA particle. The positive ionic-strength dependency of HA adsorption can be explained by the conformational change of HA particles with ionic strength. At a higher ionic strength, the decrease of the particle size favors closer contact between the particles and the surface, leading to stronger competition with electrolyte ions for surface charge neutralization and therefore leading to more HA adsorption.     

Humic acid fractionation upon sequential adsorption onto goethite

Mineral-humic complexes are commonly distributed in natural environments and are important in regulating the transport and retention of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soils and sediments. This study investigated the structural and conformational changes of humic acid (HA) and mineral-HA complexes after sequential HA adsorption by goethite, using UV-visible spectroscopy, high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The HA remaining in the solution after adsorption showed low polarity index values ((N+O)/C), which indicates that polar functional moieties are likely to adsorb on the goethite surface. In addition, we observed decreased E4/E6 and E2/E3 ratios of unbound HA with increasing number of coatings, implying that aliphatic rich HA fractions with polar functional moieties readily adsorb to the goethite surface. According to IR spectra, carbohydrate carbon would be the important fractions associated with goethite. NMR spectra provided evidence for HA fractionation during adsorption onto the mineral surface; that is, aliphatic fractions were preferentially adsorbed by goethite while aromatic fractions were left in solution. Relatively small molecular weight (MW) HA fractions had a greater affinity for the goethite surface based on analyses of the HPSEC chromatograms, which differs from the results reported in the literature. Finally, our results suggest that the polar aliphatic fractions of HA were mainly adsorbed to goethite via electrostatic attraction and/or ligand exchange reactions.     

Adsorption behavior of carboxymethyl starch on titanium dioxide surfaces

The adsorption of carboxymethyl starch (CMS) on titanium dioxide surface from aqueous solution of electrolyte was investigated by adsorption and electrokinetics mobility measurements. Zeta potential measurements showed that the addition of CMS resulted in a shift of isoelectric point to the more acidic region, indicating the adsorption of CMS from the aqueous solution onto titanium dioxide surface. The positively charged and hydrophilic surface sites of titanium dioxide favor the adsorption of CMS molecules. The adsorption capacity of CMS on titanium dioxide surface was found to be controlled by the number of functional group on CMS that promotes surface charge CMS adsorption in agreement with Langmuir isotherm. For the adsorption of CMS, the pseudo-second-order kinetics of chemical reaction provides the best correlation of the experimental data.     

Effect of chemical extractants on the biosorptive properties of pine cone powder: Influence on lead(II) removal mechanism

This study examines the changes in surface properties and lead(II) adsorption mechanism of pine cone powder modified using varying ratios of toluene–ethanol mixtures.Increasing the ratio of toluene in the extractant mixture increased formation of esters and iodine capacity of the material, but reduced carboxylate ions and surface charge. Values of surface charge and iodine capacity showed no relationship with the bulk densities. Maximum lead(II) adsorption was observed for the 2:1 toluene–ethanol modified sample. Lead(II) ions adsorption was inversely related to surface charge and directly related to iodine capacity.Ion-exchange was the dominating mechanism followed by chemisorption. Physical adsorption was higher in the sample modified with the 2:1 mixture which also had the least surface negative charge. Shifts in peaks of FTIR spectra indicate that unbounded –OH and acidic groups were responsible for lead(II) bonding and the contribution of these groups were different for each sample.     

Fluoride Adsorption on Goethite in Relation to Different Types of Surface Sites

Metal (hydr)oxides have different types of surface groups. Fluoride ions have been used as a probe to assess the number of surface sites. We have studied the F(-) adsorption on goethite by measuring the F(-) and H(+) interaction and F(-) adsorption isotherms. Fluoride ions exchange against singly coordinated surface hydroxyls at low F(-) concentrations. At higher concentrations also the doubly coordinated OH groups are involved. The replacement of a surface OH(-) by F(-) suggests that all F charge (-1) is located at the surface in contrast to oxyanions which have a charge distribution in the interface due to the binding structure in which the anion only partially coordinates with the surface. Analysis of our F(-) data with the CD-MUSIC approach shows that the formation of the fluoride surface complex is accompanied by a redistribution of charge. This is supposed to be due to a net switch in the H bonding as a result of the change of the type of surface complex from donating (FeOH, FeOH(2)) to proton accepting (FeF). The modeled redistribution of charge is approximately equivalent with the change of a donating H bond into an accepting H bond. At high F(-) concentrations precipitation of F(-), as for instance FeF(3)(s), may occur. The rate of formation is catalyzed by the presence of high electrolyte concentrations. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Adsorption kinetics of phosphate and arsenate on goethite. A comparative study

The adsorption kinetics of phosphate and arsenate on goethite is studied and compared. Batch adsorption experiments were performed at different adsorbate concentrations, pH, temperatures and stirring rates. For both oxoanions the adsorption rate increases by increasing adsorbate concentration, decreasing pH and increasing temperature. It does not change by changing stirring rate. The adsorption takes place in two processes: a fast one that takes place in less than 5 min and a slow one that takes place in several hours or more. The rate of the slow process does not depend directly on the concentration of phosphate or arsenate in solution, but depends linearly on the amount of phosphate or arsenate that was adsorbed during the fast process. Apparent activation energies and absence of stirring rate effects suggest that the slow process is controlled by diffusion into pores, although the evidence is not conclusive. The similarities in the adsorption kinetics of phosphate and arsenate are quantitatively shown by using a three-parameters equation that takes into account both the fast and the slow processes. These similarities are in line with the similar reactivity that phosphate and arsenate have in general and may be important for theoretical and experimental studies of the fate of these oxoanions in the environment.