Title: Solid-phase arsenic speciation in aquifer sediments: A micro-X-ray absorption spectroscopy approach for quantifying trace-level speciation

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is a geogenic contaminant affecting groundwater in geologically diverse systems globally. Arsenic release from aquifer sediments to groundwater is favored when biogeochemical conditions, especially oxidation-reduction (redox) potential, in aquifers fluctuate. The specific objective of this research is to identify the solid-phase sources and geochemical mechanisms of release of As in aquifers of the Des Moines Lobe glacial advance. The overarching concept is that conditions present at the aquifer-aquitard interfaces promote a suite of geochemical reactions leading to mineral alteration and release of As to groundwater. A microprobe X-ray absorption spectroscopy (μXAS) approach is developed and applied to rotosonic drill core samples to identify the solid-phase speciation of As in aquifer, aquitard, and aquifer-aquitard interface sediments. This approach addresses the low solid-phase As concentrations, as well as the fine-scale physical and chemical heterogeneity of the sediments. The spectroscopy data are analyzed using novel cosine-distance and correlation-distance hierarchical clustering for Fe 1s and As 1s μXAS datasets. The solid-phase Fe and As speciation is then interpreted using sediment and well-water chemical data to propose solid-phase As reservoirs and release mechanisms. The results confirm that in two of the three locations studied, the glacial sediment forming the aquitard is the sourcemore » of As to the aquifer sediments. The results are consistent with three different As release mechanisms: (1) desorption from Fe (oxyhydr)oxides, (2) reductive dissolution of Fe (oxyhydr)oxides, and (3) oxidative dissolution of Fe sulfides. The findings confirm that glacial sediments at the interface between aquifer and aquitard are geochemically active zones for As. The diversity of As release mechanisms is consistent with the geographic heterogeneity seen in the distribution of elevated-As wells.« less

Authors:

Nicholas, Sarah L. ^[1]; Erickson, Melinda L. ^[2]; Woodruff, Laurel G. ^[2]; Knaeble, Alan R. ^[3]; Marcus, Matthew A. ^[4]; Lynch, Joshua K. ^[5]; Toner, Brandy M. ^[6]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Univ. of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN (United States); National Univ. of Ireland, Galway (Ireland)
2. Minnesota Water Science Center, Mounds View, MN (United States)
3. Minnesota Geological Survey, Saint Paul, MN (United States)
4. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Advanced Light Source (ALS)
5. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States); Univ. of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN (United States)
6. Univ. of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN (United States)

Publication Date:

Fri May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2017

Research Org.:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

OSTI Identifier:

1379920

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1550072

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-05CH11231; AC02-06CH11357

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 211; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0016-7037

Publisher:

The Geochemical Society; The Meteoritical Society

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES