A new tool for in situ monitoring of Fe-mobilization in soils

The aim of this study was to design and test a new tool for (i) the quantitative in situ monitoring of Fe(III) reduction in soils and (ii) the tracking of the potential mineralogical changes of Fe-oxides. The tool consists of small (2 × 2 × 0.2 cm) striated polymer plates coated with synthetic pure ferrihydrite or As-doped ferrihydrite (Fh–As). These slides were then inserted within two different horizons (organo-mineral and albic) located in a wetland soil with alternating redox conditions. Dissolution was quantified by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses of total metal contents before and after insertion into the soil. The crystallographic evolution of Fe-oxides was characterized by scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer (SEM–EDS). Over the months, the ferrihydrite progressively disappeared, at rates comparable to those previously measured in laboratory studies, i.e. in the 1–10 × 10−12 mol Fe m−2 s−1 range. SEM observations indicate that the supports were highly colonized by bacteria and biofilms in the organo-mineral horizon, suggesting a biological-mediated process, while the albic horizon appeared to be characterized by a mostly chemical-mediated process. In the albic horizon, Fe-sulphide and other micro-precipitates were formed after 7 months of incubation in balance with a quasi dissolution of initial Fe-oxides.