The fate of arsenic adsorbed on iron oxides in the presence of arsenite-oxidizing bacteria

• Microbial cells lowered total As adsorption by minerals.
• Microbial oxidation proceeded much slowly in solid phase than in aqueous phase.
• Minerals with a higher affinity for As(III), hindered As(III) oxidation more.
• Under aerobic conditions, As(V) is the primary form in solid and aqueous phases.

Arsenic (As) is a redox-active metalloid whose toxicity and mobility in soil depend on its oxidation state. Arsenite [As(III)] can be oxidized by microbes and adsorbed by minerals in the soil. However, the combined effects of these abiotic and biotic processes are not well understood. In this study, the fate of arsenic in the presence of an isolated As(III)-oxidizing bacterium (Pseudomonas sp. HN-1, 109 colony-forming units (CFUs)·ml−1) and three iron oxides (goethite, hematite, and magnetite at 1.6 g L−1) was determined using batch experiments. The total As adsorption by iron oxides was lower with bacteria present and was higher with iron oxides alone. The total As adsorption decreased by 78.6%, 36.0% and 79.7% for goethite, hematite and magnetite, respectively, due to the presence of bacteria. As(III) adsorbed on iron oxides could also be oxidized by Pseudomonas sp. HN-1, but the oxidation rate (1.3 μmol h−1) was much slower than the rate in the aqueous phase (96.2 μmol h−1). Therefore, the results of other studies with minerals only might overestimate the adsorptive capacity of solids in natural systems; the presence of minerals might hinder As(III) oxidation by microbes. Under aerobic conditions, in the presence of iron oxides and As(III)-oxidizing bacteria, arsenic is adsorbed onto iron oxides within the adsorption capacity, and As(V) is the primary form in the solid and aqueous phases.