Despite the biogeochemical significance of the interactions between natural organic matter (NOM) and iron species, considerable uncertainty still remains as to the exact processes contributing to the rates and extents of complexation and redox reactions between these important and complex environmental components. Investigations on the reactivity of low-molecular-weight quinones, which are believed to be key redox active compounds within NOM, toward iron species, could provide considerable insight into the kinetics and mechanisms of reactions involving NOM and iron. In this study, the oxidation of 2-methoxyhydroquinone (MH2Q) by ferric iron (Fe(III)) under dark conditions in the absence and presence of oxygen was investigated within a pH range of 4-6. Although Fe(III) was capable of stoichiometrically oxidizing MH2Q under anaerobic conditions, catalytic oxidation of MH2Q was observed in the presence of O2 due to further cycling between oxygen, semiquinone radicals, and iron species. A detailed kinetic model was developed to describe the predominant mechanisms, which indicated that both the undissociated and monodissociated anions of MH2Q were kinetically active species toward Fe(III) reduction, with the monodissociated anion being the key species accounting for the pH dependence of the oxidation. The generated radical intermediates, namely semiquinone and superoxide, are of great importance in reaction-chain propagation. The kinetic model may provide critical insight into the underlying mechanisms of the thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of metal-organic interactions and assist in understanding and predicting the factors controlling iron and organic matter transformation and bioavailability in aquatic systems.

Understanding the processes controlling organic matter (OM) stocks in upland soils, and the ability to management them, is crucial for maintaining soil fertility and carbon (C) storage as well as projecting change with time. OM inputs are balanced by the mineralization (oxidation) rate, with the difference determining whether the system is aggrading, degrading or at equilibrium with reference to its C storage. In upland soils, it is well recognized that the rate and extent of OM mineralization is affected by climatic factors (particularly temperature and rainfall) in combination with OM chemistry, mineral–organic associations, and physical protection. Here we examine evidence for the existence of persistent anaerobic microsites in upland soils and their effect on microbially mediated OM mineralization rates. We corroborate long-standing assumptions that residence times of OM tend to be greater in soil domains with limited oxygen supply (aggregates or peds). Moreover, the particularly long residence times of reduced organic compounds (e.g., aliphatics) are consistent with thermodynamic constraints on their oxidation under anaerobic conditions. Incorporating (i) pore length and connectivity governing oxygen diffusion rates (and thus oxygen supply) with (ii) ‘hot spots’ of microbial OM decomposition (and thus oxygen consumption), and (iii) kinetic and thermodynamic constraints on OM metabolism under anaerobic conditions will thus improve conceptual and numerical models of C cycling in upland soils. We conclude that constraints on microbial metabolism induced by oxygen limitations act as a largely unrecognized and greatly underestimated control on overall rates of C oxidation in upland soils.

Dynamic energy simulation is important for the design and sizing of district heating and cooling systems with geothermal heat exchange. Current modeling approaches in building and district energy simulation tools typically consider heat conduction through the ground between boreholes, without flow of groundwater. On the other hand, detailed simulation tools for subsurface heat and mass transfer exist, but these fall short in simulating above-surface energy systems. To support the design and operation of such systems, we have developed a coupled model including a software package for building and district energy simulation, and software for detailed heat and mass transfer in the ground. For the first, we use the open-source Modelica Buildings Library, which includes dynamic simulation models for building and district energy and control systems. For the heat and mass transfer in the soil, we use the TOUGH simulator. TOUGH can model heat and multi-phase, multi-component mass transport for a variety of fluid systems, as well as chemical reactions, in fractured porous media. In previous work, we described the coupling of these software packages, including how time-dependent boundary conditions for the borehole walls are synchronized for use in Modelica and TOUGH. We verified that the coupled Modelica/TOUGH code produced consistent results with the original Modelica code for an idealized problem in which heat transfer was purely by conduction in a uniform geologic medium. Here, we examine less idealized problems for which TOUGH’s advanced capabilities for modeling fluid flow are required. The first problem has a shallow vadose zone, and the second problem has a thicker vadose zone with a water-table depth that varies in time, which requires a fine vertical grid discretization for the TOUGH model.

Soils represent the largest carbon reservoir within terrestrial ecosystems. The mechanisms controlling the amount of carbon stored and its feedback to the climate system, however, remain poorly resolved. Global carbon models assume that carbon cycling in upland soils is entirely driven by aerobic respiration; the impact of anaerobic microsites prevalent even within well-drained soils is missed within this conception. Here, we show that anaerobic microsites are important regulators of soil carbon persistence, shifting microbial metabolism to less efficient anaerobic respiration, and selectively protecting otherwise bioavailable, reduced organic compounds such as lipids and waxes from decomposition. Further, shifting from anaerobic to aerobic conditions leads to a 10-fold increase in volume-specific mineralization rate, illustrating the sensitivity of anaerobically protected carbon to disturbance. The vulnerability of anaerobically protected carbon to future climate or land use change thus constitutes a yet unrecognized soil carbon-climate feedback that should be incorporated into terrestrial ecosystem models.

One of the risks of geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) is the leakage of injected CO2 into overlying groundwater resources, resulting in potential deterioration of the quality of the groundwater due to the increase in acidity, the release of trace metals and organic compounds, and potential changes in microbial activities. A large number of studies have been conducted to evaluate various aspects of the impact of CO2 leakage on overlying aquifers using natural analog, laboratory experiments, field tests, and numerical models. In this paper, we conducted an exhaustive review of the published work, focusing on the statistical assessment of the risk posed by the trace elements including Pb, As, Cd, Ba, and U and identifying the knowledge gaps. Key observations from the review include the following: (1) Pb, As, and U are metals of primary concern because multiple cases showed their concentration higher than maximum contaminant level (MCL) or other regulatory standards, (2) carbonate aquifers seemed more vulnerable to Pb and As contamination but not to U, (3) Cd and Ba are less a concern, only one case showed Cd/Ba concentration higher than MCL, (4) none of the field studies showed the concentrations of Pb and As higher than MCL, although one push–pull field test showed the concentration of U higher than MCL, (5) the order of aggressiveness in terms of releasing trace metals was determined to be as follows: batch experiment > column experiment > field test, and (6) there is no clear correlation between metal release and type of sediments, type of aquifer, the content of carbonate and clay. Evaluation likely has to be done on a case-by-case basis. For further operations of CO2 storage overview and screening of potential sites, we suggest the use of an eight-step environmental risk assessment procedure comprising laboratory experiment, screening modeling work, and field testing for assessing the vulnerability of the overlying aquifers to degradation from CO2 leakage from the GCS site. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Natural organic matter is often associated with Fe(III) oxyhydroxides, and may be stabilized as a result of coprecipitation or sorption to their surfaces. However, the significance of this association in relation to Fe and C dynamics and biogeochemical cycling, and the mechanisms responsible for organic matter stabilization as a result of interaction with minerals under various environmental conditions (e.g., pH, Eh, etc.) are not entirely understood. The preservation of mineral-bound OM may be affected by OM structure and mineral identity, and bond types between OM and minerals may be central to influencing the stability, transformation and composition of both organic and mineral components under changing environmental conditions. Here we use bulk and submicron-scale spectroscopic synchrotron methods to examine the in situ transformation of OM-bearing, biogenic ferrihydrite stalks (Gallionella ferruginea-like), which formed following injection of oxygenated groundwater into a saturated alluvial aquifer at the Rifle, CO field site. A progression from oxidizing to reducing conditions during an eight-month period triggered the aging and reductive transformation of Gallionella-like ferrihydrite stalks to Fe (hydroxy)carbonates and Fe sulfides, as well as alteration of the composition and amount of OM. Spectromicroscopic measurements showed a gradual decrease in reduced carbon forms (aromatic/alkene, aliphatic C), a relative increase in amide/carboxyl functional groups and a significant increase in carbonate in the stalk structures, and the appearance of organic globules not associated with stalk structures. Biogenic stalks lost ∼30% of their initial organic carbon content. Conversely, a significant increase in bulk organic matter accompanied these transformations. The character of bulk OM changed in parallel with mineralogical transformations, showing an increase in aliphatic, aromatic and amide functional groups. These changes likely occurred as a result of an increase in microbial activity, or biomass production under anoxic conditions. By the end of this experiment, a substantial fraction of organic matter remained in identifiable Fe containing stalks, but carbon was also present in additional pools, for example, organic matter globules and iron carbonate minerals.

Iron (Fe) bioavailability depends upon its solubility and oxidation state, which are strongly influenced by complexation with natural organic matter (NOM). Despite observations of Fe(II)-NOM associations under conditions favorable for Fe oxidation, the molecular mechanisms by which NOM influences Fe(II) oxidation remain poorly understood. In this study, we used X-ray absorption spectroscopy to determine the coordination environment of Fe(II) associated with NOM (as-received and chemically reduced) at pH 7, and investigated the effect of NOM complexation on Fe(II) redox stability. Linear combination fitting of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data using reference organic ligands demonstrated that Fe(II) was complexed primarily by carboxyl functional groups in reduced NOM. Functional groups more likely to preserve Fe(II) represent much smaller fractions of NOM-bound Fe(II). Fe(II) added to anoxic solutions of as-received NOM oxidized to Fe(III) and remained organically complexed. Iron oxidation experiments revealed that the presence of reduced NOM limited Fe(II) oxidation, with over 50% of initial Fe(II) remaining after 4 h. These results suggest reduced NOM may preserve Fe(II) by functioning both as redox buffer and complexant, which may help explain the presence of Fe(II) in oxic circumneutral waters.

Radionuclide transport in smectite clay barrier systems used for nuclear waste disposal is controlled by diffusion, with adsorption significantly retarding transport rates. While a relatively minor component of spent nuclear fuel, 79Se is a major driver of the safety case for spent fuel disposal due to its long half-life (3.3 × 105 yr) and its low adsorption to clay (KD < 10 L/kg), thus a thorough understanding of Se diffusion through clay is critical for understanding the long-term safety of spent fuel disposal systems. Through-diffusion experiments with tritiated water (HTO, conservative tracer) and Se(VI) were conducted with a well-characterized, purified montmorillonite source clay (SWy-2) under a constant ionic strength (0.1 M) and three different electrolyte compositions: Na+, Ca2+, and a Na + -Ca2+ mixture at pH 6.5 in order to probe the effects of electrolyte composition and interlayer cation composition on clay microstructure, Se(VI) aqueous speciation, and ultimately diffusion. The results were modeled using a reactive transport modeling approach to determine values of porosity (ε), De (effective diffusion coefficient), and KD (distribution coefficient for adsorption). HTO diffusive flux was higher in Ca-montmorillonite (De = 1.68 × 10−10 m2 s−1) compared to Na-montmorillonite (De = 7.83 × 10−11 m2 s−1). This increase in flux is likely due to a greater degree of clay layer stacking in the presence of Ca2+ compared to Na+, which leads to larger inter-particle pores. Overall, the Se(VI) flux was much lower than the HTO flux due to anion exclusion, with Se(VI) flux following the order Ca (De = 1.03 × 10−11 m2 s−1) > Na–Ca (De = 2.12 × 10−12 m2 s−1) > Na (De = 1.28 × 10−12 m2 s−1). These differences in Se(VI) flux are due to a combination of factors, including (1) larger accessible porosity in Ca-montmorillonite due to clay layer stacking and smaller electrostatic effects compared to Na-montmorillonite, (2) larger accessible porosity for neutral-charge CaSeO4 species which makes up 32% of aqueous Se(VI) in the pure Ca system, and (3) possibly higher Se(VI) adsorption for Ca-montmorillonite. Through a combination of experimental and modeling work, this study highlights the compounding effects that electrolyte and counterion compositions can have on radionuclide transport through clay. Diffusion models that neglect these effects are not transferable from laboratory experimental conditions to in situ repository conditions.