Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Inhibition of Chromium(III) Oxidation through Manganese(IV) Oxide Passivation and Iron(II) Abiotic Reduction

Journal Article · · ACS Earth and Space Chemistry
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]
  1. Chapman Univ., Orange, CA (United States); SLAC
  2. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  3. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM (United States)
  4. Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)
  5. Chapman Univ., Orange, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)

Manganese (Mn) oxides are strong oxidants that are ubiquitous in soils and can oxidize redox-active metals, including chromium (Cr). In soil environments, trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) is a benign, immobile micronutrient, whereas the hexavalent Cr(VI) form is present as a highly mobile, toxic chromate oxyanion. Although many studies have characterized the capacity of Mn(III/IV) oxides to oxidize Cr(III) to toxic Cr(VI), the oxidative capacity of Mn oxides in the presence of potentially passivating soil constituents, specifically reduced soluble iron (Fe(II)aq), remains unresolved. We hypothesized that chemical processes at redox interfaces, such as diffusion-limited environments within soil aggregates, can lead to decreased Cr(VI) production from Mn oxide-driven oxidation due to passivation by Fe(II)aq. A multichamber diffusion-limited reactor was used to simulate transport at soil redox interfaces and investigate the capacity of poorly crystalline and crystalline Mn oxides to oxidize solid Cr(III) minerals to Cr(VI) in the presence of Fe(II)aq. As predicted, Cr(VI) was produced through the Mn oxide-catalyzed oxidation of Cr(III) at a rate controlled by the solubility of Cr(OH)3. However, in the presence of Fe(II)aq, the concentration of aqueous Cr(VI) decreased as a function of the Fe(II)aq concentration, where high concentrations of Fe(II)aq completely inhibited Cr(VI) production, likely through both the passivation of the Mn oxide and the direct reduction of Cr(VI) by Fe(II). At both low (14 μM) and high (100 μM) Fe(II)aq concentrations, the iron oxide minerals hematite (Fe2O3) and goethite (α-FeOOH) were associated with the Mn oxides, which can cause surface passivation, a likely role that decreases Cr(III) oxidation. Additionally, the Cr(III) oxidation rate decreased with increasing crystallinity of the Mn oxides whether or not Fe(II) was present.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
2404890
Journal Information:
ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, Journal Name: ACS Earth and Space Chemistry Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 7; ISSN 2472-3452
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (68)

Preferential flow descriptions for structured soils journal June 2006
Aqueous geochemistry of chromium: A review journal July 1991
Structural and compositional evolution of Cr/Fe solids after indirect chromate reduction by dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria journal February 2003
Secondary mineralization pathways induced by dissimilatory iron reduction of ferrihydrite under advective flow journal August 2003
Lead sorption efficiencies of natural and synthetic Mn and Fe-oxides journal December 2003
Chromium oxidation by manganese (hydr)oxides in a California aquifer journal March 2010
Oxidation and competitive retention of arsenic between iron- and manganese oxides journal November 2012
Distributed microbially- and chemically-mediated redox processes controlling arsenic dynamics within Mn-/Fe-oxide constructed aggregates journal March 2013
Lithologic and redox controls on hexavalent chromium in vadose zone sediments of California’s Central Valley journal November 2019
The effects of iron(II) on the kinetics of arsenic oxidation and sorption on manganese oxides journal November 2015
Synthesis, characterization and stability of Cr(III) and Fe(III) hydroxides journal January 2014
Natural source of Cr(VI) in soil: The anoxic oxidation of Cr(III) by Mn oxides journal July 2022
Arsenic and manganese exposure and children's intellectual function journal August 2011
Manganese exposure from drinking water and children's academic achievement journal January 2012
54 Mn Radiotracers Demonstrate Continuous Dissolution and Reprecipitation of Vernadite (δ-MnO 2 ) during Interaction with Aqueous Mn(II) journal July 2016
Quantifying Cr(VI) Production and Export from Serpentine Soil of the California Coast Range journal December 2016
Hexavalent Chromium Generation within Naturally Structured Soils and Sediments journal February 2017
Rates of Cr(VI) Generation from Cr x Fe 1– x (OH) 3 Solids upon Reaction with Manganese Oxide journal October 2017
Hexavalent Chromium Sources and Distribution in California Groundwater journal June 2018
Understanding the Roles of Dissolution and Diffusion in Cr(OH) 3 Oxidation by δ-MnO 2 journal January 2019
Influence of Fe(II) on Arsenic(III) Oxidation by Birnessite in Diffusion-Limited Systems journal February 2019
Chromium(III) oxidation by .delta.-manganese oxide (MnO2). 1. Characterization journal January 1992
Iron Promoted Reduction of Chromate by Dissimilatory Iron-Reducing Bacteria journal February 2001
Chromium Diffusion and Reduction in Soil Aggregates journal August 2001
Arsenic(III) Oxidation and Arsenic(V) Adsorption Reactions on Synthetic Birnessite journal March 2002
Natural Occurrence of Hexavalent Chromium in the Aromas Red Sands Aquifer, California journal August 2005
Chromate Reduction and Retention Processes within Arid Subsurface Environments journal October 2005
Competing Fe(II)-Induced Mineralization Pathways of Ferrihydrite journal September 2005
Transport Implications Resulting from Internal Redistribution of Arsenic and Iron within Constructed Soil Aggregates journal January 2011
Competitive Microbially and Mn Oxide Mediated Redox Processes Controlling Arsenic Speciation and Partitioning journal July 2011
Reductive Transformation of Birnessite by Aqueous Mn(II) journal August 2011
Cr(VI) Formation Related to Cr(III)-Muscovite and Birnessite Interactions in Ultramafic Environments journal August 2013
Reductive Processes Controlling Arsenic Retention: Revealing the Relative Importance of Iron and Arsenic Reduction journal November 2008
Spatial Patterns and Modeling of Reductive Ferrihydrite Transformation Observed in Artificial Soil Aggregates journal September 2009
Kinetics of Chromate Reduction by Ferrous Iron journal January 1996
Kinetics and pH Dependence of Chromium(VI) Reduction by Iron(II) journal May 1997
Influence of Mineral Surfaces on Chromium(VI) Reduction by Iron(II) journal December 1999
Chromium(III) hydrolysis constants and solubility of chromium(III) hydroxide journal February 1987
Solubility of amorphous chromium(III)-iron(III) hydroxide solid solutions journal July 1987
Relation between Catalytic Activity and Size of Particle journal July 1939
Critical Evaluation and Selection of Standard State Thermodynamic Properties for Chromium Metal and Its Aqueous Ions, Hydrolysis Species, Oxides, and Hydroxides journal November 1998
Chromium in Drinking Water: Sources, Metabolism, and Cancer Risks journal October 2011
Formation of manganese oxides by bacterially generated superoxide journal January 2011
Organic buffers act as reductants of abiotic and biogenic manganese oxides journal April 2023
Genesis of hexavalent chromium from natural sources in soil and groundwater journal April 2007
Manganese oxide minerals: Crystal structures and economic and environmental significance journal March 1999
Cr(III) Oxidation and Cr Toxicity in Cultures of the Manganese(II)-OxidizingPseudomonas putidaStrain GB-1 journal April 2005
Toxicity and Carcinogenicity of Chromium Compounds in Humans journal January 2006
ATHENA , ARTEMIS , HEPHAESTUS : data analysis for X-ray absorption spectroscopy using IFEFFIT journal June 2005
Anoxic oxidation of chromium journal June 2016
BIOGENIC MANGANESE OXIDES: Properties and Mechanisms of Formation journal May 2004
The synthesis of birnessite, cryptomelane, and some other oxides and hydroxides of manganese journal December 1971
Fe(II) reduction of pyrolusite (β-MnO2) and secondary mineral evolution journal December 2017
Measuring the impact of manganese exposure on children’s neurodevelopment: advances and research gaps in biomarker-based approaches journal August 2016
SIXPack a Graphical User Interface for XAS Analysis Using IFEFFIT journal January 2005
Neurobehavioral Function in School-Age Children Exposed to Manganese in Drinking Water journal December 2014
Role of Manganese in the Oxidation of Arsenite by Freshwater Lake Sediments1 journal January 1981
Behavior of Chromium in Soils: III. Oxidation journal January 1979
Distribution of Chromium Contamination and Microbial Activity in Soil Aggregates journal January 2003
Dependence of Arsenic Fate and Transport on Biogeochemical Heterogeneity Arising from the Physical Structure of Soils and Sediments journal July 2013
Direct Measurement of Oxygen Profiles and Denitrification Rates in Soil Aggregates1 journal January 1985
Chromate Reduction by Subsurface Soils under Acidic Conditions journal May 1991
Oxygen Concentration and Redox Potential Gradients in Unsaturated Model Soil Aggregates journal January 1993
Oxidation of Chromium(III) to (VI) by Manganese Oxides journal January 2002
The reactivity of seven Mn-oxides with Cr 3+ aq : A comparative analysis of a complex, environmentally important redox reaction journal November 2003
Determination of Mn valence states in mixed-valent manganates by XANES spectroscopy journal May 2012
Chromium Geochemistry of Serpentine Soils journal February 2004
The chromium cycle in a seasonally anoxic lake journal March 1992

Similar Records

Hexavalent Chromium Generation within Naturally Structured Soils and Sediments
Journal Article · Thu Jan 12 23:00:00 EST 2017 · Environmental Science and Technology · OSTI ID:1353183

Influence of organic ligands on chromium(VI) reduction by iron(II)
Journal Article · Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 1998 · Environmental Science and Technology · OSTI ID:655420

The reactivity of Fe(II) associated with goethite formed during short redox cycles toward Cr(VI) reduction under oxic conditions
Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Chemical Geology · OSTI ID:1372256