The role of alluvial aquifer sediments in attenuating a dissolved arsenic plume

Ziegler, Brady A.; Schreiber, Madeline E.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.

doi:10.1016/j.jconhyd.2017.04.009

Cited by 13 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…In the oxic, upgradient zone of the aquifer (zone 4), there is negligible dissolved Fe T and As T in groundwater. However, sediment contains As (up to 2.4 mg/kg) which is correlated with sediment Fe (Ziegler et al ). Deeper in the upgradient zone and below the dissolved hydrocarbon plume (zone 5), groundwater is naturally sub‐oxic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arsenic Cycling in Hydrocarbon Plumes: Secondary Effects of Natural Attenuation

Cozzarelli¹,

Schreiber

Erickson³

et al. 2015

Groundwater

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Monitored natural attenuation is widely applied as a remediation strategy at hydrocarbon spill sites. Natural attenuation relies on biodegradation of hydrocarbons coupled with reduction of electron acceptors, including solid phase ferric iron (Fe(III)). Because arsenic (As) adsorbs to Fe-hydroxides, a potential secondary effect of natural attenuation of hydrocarbons coupled with Fe(III) reduction is a release of naturally occurring As to groundwater. At a crude-oil-contaminated aquifer near Bemidji, Minnesota, anaerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons coupled to Fe(III) reduction has been well documented. We collected groundwater samples at the site annually from 2009 to 2013 to examine if As is released to groundwater and, if so, to document relationships between As and Fe inside and outside of the dissolved hydrocarbon plume. Arsenic concentrations in groundwater in the plume reached 230 µg/L, whereas groundwater outside the plume contained less than 5 µg/L As. Combined with previous data from the Bemidji site, our results suggest that (1) naturally occurring As is associated with Fe-hydroxides present in the glacially derived aquifer sediments; (2) introduction of hydrocarbons results in reduction of Fe-hydroxides, releasing As and Fe to groundwater; (3) at the leading edge of the plume, As and Fe are removed from groundwater and retained on sediments; and (4) downgradient from the plume, patterns of As and Fe in groundwater are similar to background. We develop a conceptual model of secondary As release due to natural attenuation of hydrocarbons that can be applied to other sites where an influx of biodegradable organic carbon promotes Fe(III) reduction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arsenic Cycling in Hydrocarbon Plumes: Secondary Effects of Natural Attenuation

Cozzarelli¹,

Schreiber

Erickson³

et al. 2015

Groundwater

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“…Others (Amirbahman et al ; He et al ; Hering et al ) have observed natural attenuation of As with the formation of Fe and Mn oxides as the groundwater moves into oxic sediments away from the biostimulated treatment zone. Likewise, Ziegler et al () and Ziegler et al () noted redistribution of As along the flow path in a crude‐oil contaminated sandy aquifer in Bemidji, Minnesota, with As being retained with distance from the plume by sorption of Fe oxides (Cozzarelli et al ). Amirbahman et al () described the role of Mn oxides in the oxidation of As(III) and natural attenuation of the produced As(V) through sorption.…”

Section: What Happened To the As Within The Columns?mentioning

confidence: 98%

Arsenic Release and Attenuation Processes in a Groundwater Aquifer During Anaerobic Remediation of TCE with Biostimulation

Smith¹,

Dupont²,

McLean³

2019

Groundwater Monitoring Rem

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Arsenic in groundwater in excess of the drinking water limit is usually from natural sources. The release of As, however, can be amplified by anthropogenic inputs of carbon, including those associated with the remediation of chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethylene (TCE). Large laboratory columns (15.2 cm diameter, 183 cm long) packed with aquifer solids from a TCE contaminated site near Hill Air Force Base (Utah) were fed with groundwater containing TCE and were biostimulated, bioaugmented, and monitored for TCE dechlorination over 7.5 years. This is a basin‐fill aquifer with As bearing geologic features. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biogeochemical changes that affect As solubilization that occurred after 7.5 years of feeding the columns with either whey or two formulations of Newman Zone® emulsified oil, and a no carbon addition control. The columns were analyzed in 10.16 cm sections for pore water and sediment quality parameters, parameters descriptive of redox conditions, and As geochemistry. The whey treatment resulted in 52.9% (±1.36%) (average ± standard deviation) of the total As in the solids leaching from the columns. The oil treatments promoted loss of 20.9% (±6.40%) of the total As. Arsenic solubility was associated with strongly reducing conditions developed with whey addition, leading to dissolution of crystalline Fe oxides and release of As. Arsenic was attenuated within the oil treated columns with As associated with carbonates in the lower layers. A consequence of adding whey, resulting in the desired full dechlorination of TCE in this aquifer, is the mobilization of As in groundwater.

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“…Sediment and groundwater surveys showed Fe and As depletion in sediment near the oil, corresponding to elevated dissolved Fe 2+ and As in groundwater. Dissolved Fe 2+ and As decreased along the groundwater flowpath to the leading edge of the petroleum hydrocarbon plume (i.e., transition zone), where As accumulated in sediment by association with Fe(III) in a Fe-rich "curtain" [30,31]. Comparisons of data from 1993 [38], 2008 [49], and 2013-2015 [30] have suggested that Fe(III) in the curtain is reduced as the plume expands, releasing Fe 2+ and As from the curtain into groundwater [30].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spatiotemporal model output was constrained by multiple dissolved and sediment chemical constituents. Arsenic concentrations were constrained by measured groundwater and sediment concentrations collected along the plume transect from 2011-2015 [29,30,63]. Other parameters (pH, DO, Fe, NVDOC, BEX) were constrained by groundwater and sediment chemistry data collected in 1987, 1993, and 2008 (data reported in [64]).…”

Section: Geochemical Formulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arsenic in Petroleum-Contaminated Groundwater near Bemidji, Minnesota Is Predicted to Persist for Centuries

Ziegler

Cozzarelli

et al. 2021

Water

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We used a reactive transport model to investigate the cycling of geogenic arsenic (As) in a petroleum-contaminated aquifer. We simulated As mobilization and sequestration using surface complexation reactions with Fe(OH)3 during petroleum biodegradation coupled with Fe-reduction. Model results predict that dissolved As in the plume will exceed the U.S. and EU 10 µg/L drinking water standard for ~400 years. Non-volatile dissolved organic carbon (NVDOC) in the model promotes As mobilization by exerting oxygen demand, which maintains anoxic conditions in the aquifer. After NVDOC degrades, As re-associates with Fe(OH)3 as oxygenated conditions are re-established. Over the 400-year simulation, As transport resembles a “roll front” in which: (1) arsenic sorbed to Fe(OH)3 is released during Fe-reduction coupled to petroleum biodegradation; (2) dissolved As resorbs to Fe(OH)3 at the plume’s leading edge; and (3) over time, the plume expands, and resorbed As is re-released into groundwater. This “roll front” behavior underscores the transience of sorption as an As attenuation mechanism. Over the plume’s lifespan, simulations suggest that As will contaminate more groundwater than benzene from the oil spill. At its maximum, the model simulates that ~5.7× more groundwater will be contaminated by As than benzene, suggesting that As could pose a greater long-term water quality threat than benzene in this petroleum-contaminated aquifer.

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The role of alluvial aquifer sediments in attenuating a dissolved arsenic plume

Cited by 13 publications

References 74 publications

Arsenic Cycling in Hydrocarbon Plumes: Secondary Effects of Natural Attenuation

Arsenic Cycling in Hydrocarbon Plumes: Secondary Effects of Natural Attenuation

Arsenic Release and Attenuation Processes in a Groundwater Aquifer During Anaerobic Remediation of TCE with Biostimulation

Arsenic in Petroleum-Contaminated Groundwater near Bemidji, Minnesota Is Predicted to Persist for Centuries

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