Sorption and reduction of selenite on chlorite surfaces in the presence of Fe(II) ions

The sorption and reduction of selenite on chlorite surfaces in the presence of Fe(II) ions were investigated as a function of pH, Se(IV) concentration, and Fe(II) concentration under an anoxic condition. The sorption of Se(IV) onto chlorite surfaces followed the Langmuir isotherm regardless of the presence of Fe(II) ions in the solution. The Se(IV) sorption was observed to be very low at all pH values when the solution was Fe(II)-free or the concentration of Fe(II) ions was as low as 0.5 mg/L. However, the Se(IV) sorption was enhanced at a pH > 6.5 when the Fe(II) concentration was higher than 5 mg/L because of the increased sorption of Fe(II) onto the chlorite surfaces. XANES (X-ray absorption near edge structure) spectra of the Se K-edge showed that most of the sorbed Se(IV) was reduced to Se(0) by Fe(II) sorbed onto the chlorite surfaces, especially at pH > 9. The combined results of field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) also showed that elemental selenium and goethite were formed and precipitated on the chlorite surfaces during the sorption of selenite. Consequently it can be concluded that Se(IV) can be reduced to Se(0) in the presence of Fe(II) ions by the surface catalytic oxidation of Fe(II) into Fe(III) and the formation of goethite at neutral and particularly alkaline conditions. Thus the mobility of selenite in groundwater is expected to be reduced by the presence of a relatively higher concentration of Fe(II) in subsurface environments.