No abstract

The factors controlling rates of contaminant reduction by magnetite (Fe3O4) are poorly understood. Here, we measured the reduction rates of three ArNO2 compounds by magnetite particles ranging from highly oxidized (x = Fe2+/Fe3+ = 0.31) to fully stoichiometric (x = 0.50). Rates of ArNO2 reduction became almost 5 orders of magnitude faster as the particle stoichiometry increased from x = 0.31 to 0.50. To evaluate what was controlling the rate of ArNO2 reduction, we measured apparent 15N kinetic isotope effects ((15)N-AKIE) values for nitrobenzene and magnetite open-circuit potentials (E(OCP)). 15N-AKIE values were greater than unity for all magnetite stoichiometries investigated, indicating that mass transfer processes are not controlling the rate of ArNO2 reduction by magnetite. E(OCP) measurements showed that the E(OCP) for magnetite was linearly related to the stoichiometry, with more stoichiometric magnetite having a lower potential. Based on these results, we propose that conceptual models that incorporate both redox and Fe2+ diffusion processes, rather than those that rely solely on diffusion of Fe2+, are more appropriate for understanding contaminant reduction by magnetite. Our work indicates that particle stoichiometry should be considered when evaluating rates of contaminant reduction by magnetite.

Magnetite (Fe3O4) is a common biomineralization product of microbial iron respiration and is often found in subsurface anoxic environments, such as groundwater aquifers where aqueous Fe(II) is present We investigated the reaction between aqueous Fe(II) and magnetite using the isotopic selectivity of 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and revisited the reduction of nitrobenzene by magnetite. Similar to our previous findings with Fe3+ oxides, we did not observe the formation of a stable sorbed Fe(II) species; instead, we observed oxidation of the Fe(II) to a partially oxidized magnetite phase. Oxidation of Fe(II) was accompanied by reduction of the octahedral Fe3+ atoms in the underlying magnetite to octahedral Fe2+ atoms. The lack of a stable, sorbed Fe(II) species on magnetite prompted us to reevaluate what is controlling the extent of Fe(II) uptake on magnetite, as well as contaminant reduction in the presence of magnetite and Fe(II). Uptake of Fe(II) by magnetite appears to be limited by the stoichiometry of the magnetite particles, rather than the surface area of the particles. More oxidized (or less stoichiometric) magnetite particles take up more Fe(II), with the formation of stoichiometric magnetite (Fe2+/Fe3+ = 0.5) limiting the extent of Fe(II) uptake. We also showthat stoichiometric magnetite, in the absence of aqueous Fe(II), can rapidly reduce nitrobenzene. Based on these results, we speculate that contaminant reduction that was previously attributed to Fe(II) sorbed on magnetite is due to a process similar to negative (n) doping of a solid, which increases the stoichiometry of the magnetite and alters the bulk redox properties of the particle to make reduction more favorable.