Arsenite Retention Mechanisms within Estuarine Sediments of Pescadero, CA

Arsenic, a toxic metalloid, is commonly associated with sulfide minerals in anoxic sediments. Here we characterize arsenic(III) retention on sediments from a sulfidic estuarine marsh using a series of sorption experiments, and probe the structure of retained arsenite with X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Although the extent of sorption varied with sampling locations, several adsorption characteristics were apparent. A fraction of arsenite adsorbed over the entire pH range examined, although it was most extensive at pH greater than 7, and conformed to a Langmuir isotherm. Iron sulfide phases were responsible for As partitioning in these sediments. Initially, an FeAsS-like precipitate formed with a structure similar to those reported for As(III) sorbed on iron sulfides, a complex that is highly reactive. Following reaction for 21 d, much of the FeAsS-like precipitate was converted to As2S3. A drop in the redox potential accompanied this conversion, suggesting that the evolution of sulfide and other reduced species stabilizes bound arsenic. Processes discerned in this study reveal the importance of sulfide minerals in As sequestration within anoxic environments.