Natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) affects W(VI) adsorption onto Al (hydr)oxide: Mechanisms and influencing factors

Tungsten (W) is a contaminant with health implications whose environmental behaviors are not understood well. Sorption to mineral surfaces is one of the primary processes controlling the mobility and fate of W in soils, sediments, and aquifers. However, few papers published hitherto have not yet figured out the influences of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on this process. Here, we examine W(VI) adsorption behaviors onto Al (hydr)oxide (AAH) in the presence or absence of DOM derived from plant rhizosphere, using batch experiments coupled with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The morphology and functional group analyses results show that DOM can facilitate the aggregation of AAH and block surface Al–OH groups. Coexisting DOM inhibits W(VI) adsorption onto AAH at acidic to neutral pH (4–7), and the presence of either Na + or PO43− can exert a completely different impact on W(VI) adsorption. XPS and FTIR characterizations further demonstrate surface W complexes with the Al–OH groups of AAH and carboxyl groups of DOM. There is no reduction of W(VI) during the adsorption processes, and poly-tungstate species are formed on the surface of both AAH and AAH–DOM coprecipitates. This study provides the first evidence of the roles of natural DOM on W sequestration at the mineral-water surface, which has an important implication for the prediction of the migration and bioavailability of W in natural environments.