Modelling Eu(III) speciation in a Eu(III)/PAHA/α-Al2O3 ternary system

Eu(III) and Am(III) adsorption on aluminum (hydr)oxide minerals: surface complexation modeling

Americium is a highly radioactive actinide element found in used nuclear fuel. Its adsorption on aluminum (hydr)oxide minerals is important to study for at least two reasons: (i) aluminum (hydr)oxide minerals are ubiquitous in the subsurface environment and (ii) bentonite clays, which are proposed engineered barriers for the geologic disposal of used nuclear fuel, have the same ≡AlOH sites as aluminum (hydr)oxide minerals. Surface complexation modeling is widely used to interpret the adsorption behavior of heavy metals on mineral surfaces. While americium sorption is understudied, multiple adsorption studies for europium, a chemical analog, are available. In this study we compiled data describing Eu(III) adsorption on three aluminum (hydr)oxide minerals-corundum (α-Al₂O₃), γ-alumina (γ-Al₂O₃) and gibbsite (γ-Al(OH)₃)-and developed surface complexation models for Eu(III) adsorption on these minerals by employing diffuse double layer (DDL) and charge distribution multisite complexation (CD-MUSIC) electrostatic frameworks. We also developed surface complexation models for Am(III) adsorption on corundum (α-Al₂O₃) and γ-alumina (γ-Al₂O₃) by employing a limited number of Am(III) adsorption data sourced from literature. For corundum and γ-alumina, two different adsorbed Eu(III) species, one each for strong and weak sites, were found to be important regardless of which electrostatic framework was used. The formation constant of the weak site species was almost 10,000 times weaker than the formation constant for the corresponding strong site species. For gibbsite, two different adsorbed Eu(III) species formed on the single available site type and were important for the DDL model, whereas the best-fit CD-MUSIC model for Eu(III)-gibbsite system required only one Eu(III) surface species. The Am(III)-corundum model based on the CD-MUSIC framework had the same set of surface species as the Eu(III)-corundum model. However, the log K values of the surface reactions were different. The best-fit Am(III)-corundum model based on the DDL framework had only one site type. Both the CD-MUSIC and the DDL model developed for Am(III)-γ-alumina system only comprised of one site type and the formation constant of the corresponding surface species was ~ 500 times stronger and ~ 700 times weaker than the corresponding Eu(III) species on the weak and the strong sites, respectively. The CD-MUSIC model for corundum and both the DDL and the CD-MUSIC models for γ-alumina predicted the Am(III) adsorption data very well, whereas the DDL model for corundum overpredicted the Am(III) adsorption data. The root mean square of errors of the DDL and CD-MUSIC models developed in this study were smaller than those of two previously-published models describing Am(III)-γ-alumina system, indicating the better predictive capacity of our models. Overall, our results suggest that using Eu(III) as an analog for Am(III) is practical approach for predicting Am(III) adsorption onto well-characterized minerals.

How crucial is the impact of calcium on the reactivity of iron-organic matter aggregates? Insights from arsenic

Environmental iron-organic matter (Fe-OM) aggregates play a major role in the dynamic of pollutants. Nowadays, there is a lack of information about the control exerted by their structural organization on their reactivity towards metal(loid)s and in particular, the impact of major ions, such as calcium. The sorption capacity of mimetic environmental Fe-OM-Ca aggregates was investigated relative to the Fe/organic carbon (OC) and Ca/Fe ratios using As as a probe. It was shown that Fe speciation is the key factor controlling the reactivity of Fe-OM-Ca aggregates regarding the high affinity of Fe(III)-oligomers towards As and the high sorption capacity of ferrihydrite-like nanoparticles. Moreover, when it occurs at high concentration, Ca competes with Fe for OM binding leading to an increase in the amount of ferrihydrite-like nanoparticles and binding site availability. As a consequence, Ca not only impacts the ionic strength but it also has a dramatic impact on the structural organization of Fe-OM aggregates at several scales of organization, resulting in an increase of their sorption capacity. In the presence of high amounts of Ca, Fe-OM-Ca aggregates could immobilize pollutants in the soil porous media as they form a micrometric network exhibiting a strong sorption capacity.

Differential absorbance study of interactions between europium, soil and aquatic NOM and model compounds

This study compared the binding of europium by soil and aquatic natural organic matter (NOM) exemplified by Pahokee Peat humic acid (PPHA) and Northern Reservoir NOM, respectively. NOM/Eu³⁺ interactions were measured based on the differential absorbance approach. The experimental results show that the binding of Eu³⁺ by humic acid isolated from agricultural soil results in several features of the differential spectra that are distinct from those observed for aquatic NOM. These features may be associated with the presence in soil NOM of functional groups similar to gallic acid. The binding of Eu³⁺ by NOM was modeled using a phenomenological approach that accounted for the involvement of dissimilar metal-binding functionalities. This study also introduced the concept of integrated differential absorbance; the use of that parameter allowed achieving a close fit between the experimental and model data. This study presents an alternative approach to ascertain mechanisms of, and differences in the interactions of europium with model compounds and natural organic matter with the provenance from soil and surface water.

Accumulation of 152+154Eu(III) by Aspergillus sydowii and Trichoderma harzianum

Radionuclides-resistant filamentous fungi were isolated from radionuclides' contaminated soils. Effects of contact time, mycelia dosage, pH, ionic strength and thiol compounds on ^152+154Eu(III) accumulation on two kinds of filamentous fungi (Aspergillus sydowii and Trichoderma harzianum, denoted as A. sydowii and T. harzianum, respectively) were investigated by batch techniques. The maximum tolerance to Eu(III) concentration of A. sydowii and T. harzianum reached 3000 mg/L and 3500 mg/L, and the Eu(III) accumulation on A. sydowii and T. harzianum can be fitted better with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, respectively. Filamentous fungi were characterized by FT-IR and acid base titrations, and morphological structures of mycelia changed obviously under Eu(III) stress by SEM and TEM analysis. The results suggested that filamentous fungi could play an important role in the migration and transformation of radionuclides in the environment.

Analysis of mercury adsorption at the gibbsite-water interface using the CD-MUSIC model

Mercury (Hg), one of the most toxic substances in nature, has long been released during the anthropogenic activity. A correct description of the adsorptive behavior of mercury is important to gain a better insight into its fate and transport in natural mineral surfaces, which will be a prerequisite for the development of surface complexation model for the adsorption processes. In the present study, simulation experiments on macroscopic Hg(II) sorption by gibbsite (α-Al(OH)₃), a representative aluminum (hydr)oxide mineral, were performed using the charge distribution and multi-site complexation (CD-MUSIC) approach with 1-pK triple plane model (TPM). For this purpose, several data sets which had already been reported in the literature were employed to analyze the effect of pH, ionic strength, and co-exisiting ions (NO₃^- and Cl^-) on the Hg(II) adsorption onto gibbsite. Sequential optimization approach was used to determine the acidity and asymmetric binding constants for electrolyte ions and the affinity constants of the surface species through the model simulation using FITEQLC (a modified code of FITEQL 4.0). The model successfully incorporated the presence of inorganic ligands at the dominant edge (100) face of gibbsite with consistent surface species, which was evidenced by molecular scale analysis. The model was verified with an independent set of Hg(II) adsorption data incorporating carbonate binding species in an open gibbsite-water system.

The pH dependent surface charging and points of zero charge. VII. Update

The pristine points of zero charge (PZC) and isoelectric points (IEP) of metal oxides and IEP of other materials from the recent literature, and a few older results (overlooked in previous searches) are summarized. This study is an update of the previous compilations by the same author [Surface Charging and Points of Zero Charge, CRC, Boca Raton, 2009; J. Colloid Interface Sci. 337 (2009) 439; 353 (2011) 1; 426 (2014) 209]. The field has been very active, but most PZC and IEP are reported for materials, which are very well-documented already (silica, alumina, titania, iron oxides). IEP of (nominally) Gd₂O₃, NaTaO₃, and SrTiO₃ have been reported in the recent literature. Their IEP were not reported in older studies.

Eu(III)-Fulvic Acid Complexation: Evidence of Fulvic Acid Concentration Dependent Interactions by Time-Resolved Luminescence Spectroscopy

Europium speciation is investigated by time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy (TRLS) in the presence of Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA). From complexation isotherms built at different total Eu(III) concentrations, pH values, ionic strength, and SRFA concentrations, it appears that two luminescence behaviors of Eu(III) are occurring. The first part, at the lowest CSRFA values, is showing the typical luminescence evolution of Eu(III) complexed by humic substances--that is, the increase of the asymmetry ratio between the (5)D0 → (7)F2 and (5)D0 → (7)F1 transitions up to a plateau--, and the occurrence of a biexponential decay--the first decay being faster than free Eu(3+). At higher CSRFA, a second luminescence mode is detected as the asymmetry ratio is increasing again after the previous plateau, and could correspond to the formation of another type of complex, and/or it can reflect a different spatial organization of complexed europium within the SRFA structure. The luminescence decay keeps on evolving but link to hydration number is not straightforward due to quenching mechanisms. The Eu(III) chemical environment evolution with CSRFA is also ionic strength dependent. These observations suggest that in addition to short-range interactions--intraparticulate complexation--, there might be interactions at longer range--interparticulate repulsion--between particles that are complexing Eu(III) at high CSRFA. These interactions are not yet accounted by the different complexation models.

The use of assemblage models to describe trace element partitioning, speciation, and fate: a review

The fate of trace elements in soils, sediments, and surface waters is largely determined by their binding to reactive components, of which organic matter, metal oxides, and clays are considered most important. Assemblage models, combining separate mechanistic complexation models for each of the reactive components, can be used to predict the solid-solution partitioning and speciation of trace elements in natural environments. In the present review, the authors provide a short overview of advanced ion-binding models for organic matter and oxides and of their application to artificial and natural assemblages. Modeling of artificial assemblages of mineral components and organic matter indicates that the interactions between organic and mineral components are important for trace element binding, particularly for oxyanions. The modeling of solid-solution partitioning in natural systems is generally adequate for metal cations but less so for oxyanions, probably because of the neglect of organic matter-oxide interactions in most assemblage models. The characterization of natural assemblages in terms of their components (active organic matter, reactive oxide surface) is key to successful model applications. Improved methods for characterization of reactive components in situ will enhance the applicability of assemblage models. Collection of compositional data for soil and water archetypes, or the development of relationships to estimate compositions from geospatially available data, will further facilitate assemblage model use for predictive purposes.