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Silicate Minerals as a Source of Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater

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Abstract

Mineral dissolution plays an essential role in controlling geogenic arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater. Although reductive dissolution of Fe oxyhydroxides is generally considered a key As release mechanism in many aquifers, some recent studies argue that silicate minerals, normally considered “inert” in As release, are the primary source of As contamination under certain conditions. The objective of this study is to determine As distribution in different minerals in a natural sediment and identify As release mechanisms and the role of silicate minerals in As release. A sediment sample was collected, characterized, and tested using leaching experiments at a range of pH and redox potentials. Our results showed that silicate minerals, which make up the bulk of the sediment, are the main As reservoir, containing 75 % of As. Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides, which are minor components in the sediment, are the second largest As reservoir and hold 16 % of As. Leaching experiments showed that silicate mineral dissolution is an important As-releasing mechanism and that high pH and low redox potential promoted silicate mineral dissolution and As release.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ignite R&D Program (Project # 5404.1354.101). We are grateful to Dr. Stephen Amor at Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Natural Resources for his help in selecting sampling sites and for allowing us to use his sampling equipment.

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B, 3X5, Canada

    Md. Samrat Alam, Yang Wu & Tao Cheng

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  1. Md. Samrat Alam
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  3. Tao Cheng
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Correspondence to Tao Cheng.

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Alam, M.S., Wu, Y. & Cheng, T. Silicate Minerals as a Source of Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 2201 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2201-9

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