Townsend LT, Shaw S, Ofili NER, Kaltsoyannis N, Walton AS, Mosselmans JFW, Neill TS, Lloyd JR, Heath S, Hibberd R, Morris K. Formation of a U(VI)-Persulfide Complex during Environmentally Relevant Sulfidation of Iron (Oxyhydr)oxides.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020;
54:129-136. [PMID:
31838844 DOI:
10.1021/acs.est.9b03180]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Uranium is a risk-driving radionuclide in both radioactive waste disposal and contaminated land scenarios. In these environments, a range of biogeochemical processes can occur, including sulfate reduction, which can induce sulfidation of iron (oxyhydr)oxide mineral phases. During sulfidation, labile U(VI) is known to reduce to relatively immobile U(IV); however, the detailed mechanisms of the changes in U speciation during these biogeochemical reactions are poorly constrained. Here, we performed highly controlled sulfidation experiments at pH 7 and pH 9.5 on U(VI) adsorbed to ferrihydrite and investigated the system using geochemical analyses, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and computational modeling. Analysis of the XAS data indicated the formation of a novel, transient U(VI)-persulfide complex as an intermediate species during the sulfidation reaction, concomitant with the transient release of uranium to the solution. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) modeling showed that a persulfide ligand was coordinated in the equatorial plane of the uranyl moiety, and formation of this species was supported by computational modeling. The final speciation of U was nanoparticulate U(IV) uraninite, and this phase was evident at 2 days at pH 7 and 1 year at pH 9.5. Our identification of a new, labile U(VI)-persulfide species under environmentally relevant conditions may have implications for U mobility in sulfidic environments pertinent to radioactive waste disposal and contaminated land scenarios.
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