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Synergetic transformations of multiple pollutants driven by Cr(VI)-sulfite reactions Bo Jiang, Yukun Liu, Jingtang Zheng, Minghui Tan, Zhaohui Wang, and Mingbo Wu Environ. Sci. Technol., Just Accepted Manuscript • Publication Date (Web): 17 Sep 2015 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on September 23, 2015
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Environmental Science & Technology
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Synergetic transformations of multiple
3
pollutants driven by Cr(VI)-sulfite reactions
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Bo Jiang†,‡, Yukun Liu†, Jingtang Zheng†,*, Minghui Tan†, Zhaohui Wang§,¶,*, Mingbo Wu†
6 7
†
266580, Shandong, P.R. China;
8 9
‡
§
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China;
12 13
School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao 266033, China;
10 11
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
¶
Southern Cross GeoScience, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
14 15
16
17
*Corresponding author:
[email protected] (J.T. Zheng)
[email protected] (Z.H. Wang) Author:
[email protected] (B. Jiang)
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Abstract
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Reduction of Cr(VI) is often deemed necessary to detoxify chromium contaminants,
25
however, few investigations utilized this reaction for the purpose of treating other industrial
26
wastewaters. Here a widely-used Cr(VI)-sulfite reaction system was upgraded to
27
simultaneously transform multiple pollutants, namely the reduction of Cr(VI) and oxidation
28
of sulfite and other organic/inorganic pollutants in an acidic solution. As(III) was selected as
29
a probe pollutant to examine the oxidation capacity of a Cr(VI)-sulfite system. Both •OH and
30
SO4•− were considered as the primary oxidants for As(III) oxidation, based on the results of
31
electron spin resonance, fluorescence spectroscopy and specific radicals quenching. As(III)-
32
scavenging, oxidative radicals greatly accelerated Cr(VI) reduction and simultaneously
33
consumed less sulfite. In comparison with a Cr(VI)-H2O2 system with 50 µM Cr(VI), Cr(VI),
34
the sulfite system had excellent performance for both As(III) oxidation and Cr(VI) reduction
35
at pH 3.5. Moreover, in this escalated process, less sulfite was required to reduce Cr(VI)
36
than the traditional Cr(VI) reduction by sulfite process. This effectively improves the
37
environmental compatibility of this Cr(VI) detoxification process, alleviating the potential for
38
SO2 release and sulfate ion production in water. Generally, this study provides an excellent
39
example of a “waste control by waste” strategy for the detoxification of multiple industrial
40
pollutants.
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Introduction
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Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is extensively used in various industrial processes, such as
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electroplating, pigments and leather tanning 1. However, Cr(VI), an US Environmental
74
Protection Agency “priority pollutant”, is known to be toxic and carcinogenic and is highly
75
mobile in many soils and waters 2. Hence, disposal of Cr(VI)-bearing waste is a significant
76
and well-recognized environmental issue 2. In contrast to Cr(VI), Cr(III) is less toxic and can
77
be readily precipitated out of solution in the form of Cr(OH)3. Consequently, the reduction of
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Cr(VI) to non-toxic Cr(III) is of great interest for engineered waste management systems.
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To date, a variety of methods have been developed for aqueous Cr(VI) detoxification
80
including conventional methods (e.g., chemical reduction and precipitation) and advanced
81
processes (e.g., TiO2-based photocatalysis, glow plasma processes and photochemical
82
methods mediated by organic acids)
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species, these processes consume a large number of chemical regents or energy input and are
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therefore not cost-effective. Notably, Bokare et al.8 and Wang et al.
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novel application of Cr(VI) reduction by H2O2 to generate highly reactive •OH towards
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pollutant oxidation in situ. For example, 100 µM 4-chlorophenol was completely oxidised at
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solution pH 3.0-7.0 within 360 min in a Cr(VI)-H2O2 reaction system ([Cr(VI)]0 = 2.0 mM,
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[H2O2]0 = 20 mM). Although this reaction system gained some economic benefits, it cannot
89
efficiently relieve the environmental hazard of Cr(VI) and thus still required additional
90
processes to detoxify Cr(VI) in the waste water.
91
−
1-7
. In spite of the success in detoxification of Cr(VI)
-
2-
2CrO4 + 4HSO3 + 6H + → 2Cr 3+ + S2O 6 + 6H 2 O + 2SO 4
9
2-
recently reported the
(1)
2−
92
4CrO 4 + 6NaHSO3 + 3H 2SO 4 + 8H + → 2Cr2 (SO 4 ) 3 + 3Na 2SO 4 + 10H 2O (2)
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An alternative to H2O2, sulfite, a common industrial contaminant in wastewaters or in
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exhaust gas, is a typical reducing agent and has been widely utilized for reductive 4
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detoxification of chromate-containing wastewaters or remediation of contaminated sites in
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many emergency cases
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Reaction 1 in the presence of an excess of sulfite, whereas the theoretical stoichiometry of
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Cr(VI)/sulfite is 2:3 for excessive Cr(VI) (Reaction 2)
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primarily focused on kinetic or equilibrium models to study the reaction of sulfite reducing
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Cr(VI) in an acid solution with excess sulfite 11-14. For example, Beukes et al. 12 investigated
101
Cr(VI) reduction by sulfite as a function of pH in wastewater and reported that for a 26 mg L-
102
1
103
was required for complete reduction within the pH range of 2.0-5.0.
2, 10-12
. The reaction between Cr(VI) and sulfite can be described by
11
. Until now, the literature has
Cr(VI) solution, a sulfite concentration of at least 5 times the initial Cr(VI) concentration
104
Moreover, the significant role of sulfite as an efficient source of active radicals via the
105
reaction of an iron-sulfite-oxygen complex under light irradiation has been reported 13-16. For
106
example, Zhang et al.
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decolorized within 60 min in an Fe(II)/sulfite-based photochemical system using a xenon
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lamp (350 W), whereas less efficiency (15%) was achieved without irradiation. Application
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of industrially available sulfite as a new source of sulfate radicals, instead of using expensive
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persulfate reagents (ca. $1,300/t), seems very promising in the practice of advanced oxidation
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technologies (AOTs) 14.
15
reported that 84% of Orange II (10 mg L−1) can be efficiently
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Compared with Fe(III), Cr(VI) may be found more abundant in some industrial
113
wastewaters, is soluble over a larger pH range and has a higher standard oxidation potential
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(E0(HCrO4−/Cr3+) = 1.35 VNHE) 8. Thus, aqueous Cr(VI) species may be an alternative
115
activator for transforming sulfite to active radical species. However, although Cr(VI)
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reduction by sulfite is a common process for Cr(VI) detoxification throughout the world 11, 12,
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there are few reports describing a sulfite-mediated generation of active radicals in Cr(VI)
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reduction processes .
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This study investigated the reactions occurring in a Cr(VI)-sulfite reaction system and
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examined the feasibility of upgrading this reaction system for the oxidation of other
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inorganic/organic contaminants. The changes in concentrations of various reagents were
122
measured over reaction time, with different dosages of Cr(VI) and sulfite. The effects of pH,
123
additions of other metal ions, and scavenging radicals were examined to probe the underlying
124
reaction mechanisms. This work provides a new route for the oxidation of organic/inorganic
125
pollutants, co-occurring with sulfite oxidation and Cr(VI) reduction.
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Experimental section
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Chemicals.
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Sodium arsenite (NaAsO2, 97%) and sodium arsenate (Na2HAsO4·7H2O, 99%) were
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supplied by Xiya Reagent and Jiangxi Qianhua Industry Co., Ltd., respectively. Methyl
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orange (MO), methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RB), anhydrous sodium sulfite
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(Na2SO3, >97%), sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3·5H2O, >99%), potassium chromate
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(K2Cr2O7, >99%), diphenylcarbazide (98%), sodium pyrosulfite (Na2S2O5, >96%), sodium
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hyposulfite
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((NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O, >99%), ethanol (EtOH, 73.0%-75.0%), 5,5’-Dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic
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acid) (DTNB, >99%), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA, >99.5%), antimony potassium
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tartrate (K(SbO)C4H4O6·0.5H2O, >99%), L-Ascorbic acid (C6H8O6, >99.7%), chromium
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nitrate (Cr(NO3)3·9H2O, >99%), copper sulfate (CuSO4·5H2O, >99%), cobaltous sulfate
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(CoSO4·5H2O, >99.5%), manganese sulfate (MnSO4, >99%), aluminium sulfate hydrate
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(Al2(SO4)3·H2O, 98%), ferrous sulfate heptahydrate (FeSO4·7H2O, >99%), ferric sulfate
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(Fe2(SO4)3, >99%), coumarin (C9H6O2), tert-butyl alcohol (TBA, >98%), H2SO4 (73.0%-
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75.0%), H3PO4 (>98.5%), NaOH (>96%), HCl (36%-38%) and H2O2 were purchased from
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Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co. Ltd., China. All chemical reagents were used without
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further purification. UltraPure water was used for all experiments.
(Na2S2O4,
>86%),
ammoniummolybdate
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Reaction procedures.
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All experiments were conducted in an open, 150mL, cylindrical glass tube, magnetically
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stirred and maintained at a temperature of 20±1°C in a circulating water jacket. Stock
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solutions of 1000 mg L−1 Cr(VI) and As(III) were prepared by dissolving analytical grade
148
K2Cr2O7 and NaAsO2 in pure water. All working solutions were freshly prepared before use
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by diluting the stock solution with pure water. The pH was adjusted to the desired values with
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concentrated H2SO4 or NaOH solution. Cr(VI) and As(III) were pre-mixed, sulfite was added
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to initiate the experiment. For the experiments using a volumetric flask (250 mL) as the
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reaction vessel in the presence of argon or oxygen (gas velocity, 0.6 L min-1), the solution
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was purged with the corresponding gas for 10 min prior to initiating the reaction. The
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samples were withdrawn at various time intervals, and immediately measured.
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Analytical methods.
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The pH of the solution was determined by pH meter (PHS-3C). As(V) concentration was
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determined using a modified molybdenum-blue method 17. Briefly, for each 2.0 mL quenched
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aliquot (1 mL of sample + 1 mL of methanol), 0.5 mL of the 2% HCl acidifying solution and
159
0.3 mL of the color reagent were mixed sequentially. For total As determination, 0.5 mL of
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the 2% HCl containing 2 mmol L-1 KIO3 was used instead of 2% HCl solution. The
161
absorbance at 880 nm was determined within 30 min using an UV−vis spectrophotometer
162
(UV-3000, MAPADA). The concentration of Cr(VI) remaining in the solution was measured
163
by a diphenylcarbazide method. The concentrated acids (H3PO4:H2SO4:H2O = 1:1:2, v:v:v)
164
were premixed with diphenylcarbazide reagent to minimize the interference of acid with
165
Cr(VI) determination. The absorbance of sample solutions was detected at 540 nm after full
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color development (> 15 min) 7, 9.
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The concentration of S(IV) was determined using a modified colorimetric procedure with
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DTNB 18. Briefly, 1 mL of sample was added into a cuvette containing a mixture with 1 mL 7
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of EDTA (1 mM), 2 mL of DTNB (1 mM), and 5 mL of Na2HPO4/KH2PO4 buffer (pH = 7).
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The color was allowed to developed for 15 min and the sample solutions were detected at 412
171
nm with an UV−vis spectrophotometer.
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Electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments were performed using DMPO as a spin-
173
trapping agent, whose detailed parameters and procedure are shown in Text S1. A UV–
174
visible spectrophotometer (UV-3000, MAPADA) was employed to measure the
175
concentrations of MO, MB and RhB at wavelengths of 505, 663 and 554 nm, respectively.
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Coumarin (1 mM) was employed as a chemical probe for •OH. 7-Hydroxycoumarin
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(reaction 3) was measured by monitoring the fluorescence emission at 460 nm under
178
excitation at 332 nm using a spectrofluorometer (F97PRO, Lengguang Tech.) 19. •
179
OH + coumarin → 7 − hydroxycoumarin
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Results and discussion
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Oxidation of pollutants by Cr(VI)-sulfite reactions.
(3)
182
In this study, toxic As(III) was selected as a model pollutant. Its oxidation kinetics have
183
been extensively studied and can be easily characterized by measuring the oxidation product-
184
As(V)
185
experimental conditions. In the reaction system of Cr(VI)-sulfite, approximately 400 µM
186
sulfite was depleted for only 20 µM Cr(VI) reduced with a [sulfite]consumption/[Cr(VI)]reduction
187
stoichiometric ratio of 20 in Figure 1(b,c) (no significant sulfite removal due to the oxidation
188
of air or the complexation of Cr(III) in Figure 1(c)). In contrast, when adding 50 µM As(III),
189
as an electron donor, into a Cr(VI)-sulfite solution, much more Cr(VI) (approximately 49 µM)
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was rapidly reduced, consuming only 330 µM sulfite ([sulfite]consumption/[Cr(VI)]reduction ≈ 6.7).
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Accordingly, approximately 32 µM of As(III) was gradually transformed to As(V) in this
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process. As shown in Figure 1(a), neither sulfite nor Cr(VI), nor Cr(III)-sulfite can
7, 20-22
. Figure 1(a) compares the extent of As(III) oxidation under the different
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individually lead to measurable As(V) formation. Consequently, the oxidative conversion of
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As(III) can be attributed to interactions between As (III), Cr(VI) and sulfite. Similarly, rapid
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decoloration of MO, MB and RB within tens of seconds can be achieved (Figures S1-S3), in
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contrast to the oxidation performance of Fe(II)/sulfite-based photochemical systems with
197
reaction times in tens of minutes 13-16. This indicates the strong oxidation capacity of Cr(VI)-
198
sulfite reaction system towards oxidation of both inorganic arsenite and organic pollutants.
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To examine the role of sulfite in simultaneous conversions of Cr(VI) and As(III),
200
hydrosulfite (S2O42-), pyrosulfite (S2O52-) and hyposulfite (S2O32-) were chosen as alternative,
201
reducing sulfur(IV) sources. The results in Figure 1 show that although pyrosulfite and
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hyposulfite can effectively reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III), only pyrosulfite can simultaneously
203
trigger As(III) oxidation to As(V). Since a pyrosulfite molecule can be easily transformed to
204
two sulfites through a hydrolysis reaction (Figure S4) 23, sulfite is expected to play a critical
205
role in the synergetic conversion of Cr(VI) and As(III). As for, hydrosulfite, no obvious
206
conversion of As(III) or Cr(VI) was observed at pH 3.5 after 60 min. The importance of free
207
inorganic sulfite was further demonstrated by a formaldehyde addition experiment (see more
208
details in Figure S5). In conclusion, although many reducing sulfur reagents can transform
209
Cr(VI) to Cr(III), only free inorganic sulfite species result in As(III) oxidation.
210
Effect of initial reagent concentration.
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To investigate the effects of initial reagent concentrations on the oxidation capacity of a
212
Cr(VI)-sulfite system, batch experiments were carried out in aqueous solution by varying
213
their initial concentrations at pH 3.5. Figure S6 shows that for 50 µM Cr(VI) reduction, the
214
addition of As(III) resulted in the reduction of more Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and consumed less
215
sulfite
216
[sulfite]consumption/[Cr(VI)]reduction (5-10) was lower in the Cr(VI)-sulfite-As(III) systems. The
than
a
Cr(VI)-sulfite
system
without
As(III).
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reason may be that As(III), acting as an active radicals scavenger, can alleviate the
218
consumption of sulfite, another electron donor in the systems.
219
The optimal As(III) oxidation (approximately 32 µM) observed was achieved at a sulfite
220
concentration of 400 µM (Figure S7). Further increasing sulfite concentration (> 400 µM)
221
retarded As(V) formation. This could be explained by excess sulfite causing rapid Cr(VI)
222
reduction, increasing competition with As(III) for reactive oxidants. Higher concentrations of
223
As(III) may counter this effect, increasing the ionic activity of As(III) in the system, leading
224
to more As(V) formation and a higher ratio of [As(III)]oxidation/[Cr(VI)]reduction (Table 1).
225
Although an increase of Cr(VI) (25-100 µM) greatly enhanced the oxidation of As(III) to
226
As(V), the ratio of [As(III)]oxidation/[Cr(VI)]reduction reduced from 0.82 to 0.55 ([As(III)]0 = 50
227
µM, [sulfite]0 = 400 µM). Moreover, even though [sulfite]0 was optimized for As(V)
228
formation at [Cr(VI)]0 of 400 µM, a downtrend of [As(III)]oxidation/[Cr(VI)]reduction was
229
observed under the conditions of Cr(VI) ranging from 50 to 400 µM with the
230
[Cr(VI)]0/[As(III)]0 ratio of 1:1 (Table 1). These results indicated that the reaction of sulfite
231
reducing Cr(VI) for radicals generation was inhibited at high Cr(VI) concentrations, implying
232
that the reduction mechanism of Cr(VI) may depend on the Cr(VI) levels in Cr(VI)-sulfite
233
systems.
234
Effect of initial pH.
235
The pH was a potentially critical variable for As(III) oxidation in this Cr(VI)-sulfite
236
reaction system, because of its effect on the speciation and redox potentials of Cr(VI) and
237
sulfite. Figure S8 demonstrates that SO2·H2O and HSO3- were prominent species at lower pH
238
values (pH < 7.0). Figure S9 depicts that the major Cr(VI) species at pH < 6.0 is HCrO4-,
239
while CrO42- is the major species at pH > 6.0. Since CrO42- is a much weaker oxidant than
240
HCrO4- (E0(CrO42-/Cr2O3) = 0.56 VNHE at pH 7.0 vs E0(HCrO4-/Cr3+) = 0.94 VNHE at pH 3.0),
241
CrO42- is less active than HCrO4- for the Cr(VI)-induced oxidation of sulfite 8. Therefore, a 10
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faster reduction of Cr(VI) is expected, with enhanced oxidation of As(III) at more acidic pH,
243
as shown in Figure 2 and S10. Again, the pH dependence of As(III) oxidation demonstrates
244
the driving role of Cr(VI) in the transformations of sulfite and As(III).
245
Identification of the reactive oxidants.
246
The rapid oxidation of As(III) at acidic pH suggests that it might be a radical-involved
247
process initiated by the oxidative activation of sulfite with Cr(VI). To gain direct evidence for
248
the involvement of radicals, fluorescence measurement and electron paramagnetic resonance
249
(ESR) were employed. In oxygen or an oxygen-free atmosphere, the characteristic signal of
250
the sulfite anion radical (SO3•−) (aN = 14.7 G, aH =15.9 G) from Cr(VI)-initiated oxidation of
251
sulfite was observed by spin-trapping ESR in Figure 3(a) 24. Signal intensity of DMPO/SO3•−
252
adduct became stronger in the deoxygenated solution than the oxygenated solution. Other
253
radicals were not observed perhaps because excess DMPO (100 mM) trapped all of the SO3•−
254
and terminated any subsequent radical propagation reactions.
255
In order to trap secondary radicals formed from the sulfite chain reactions, the
256
concentration of DMPO was decreased to 25 mM, enhancing the reaction of the primary
257
SO3•− with O2. As presented in Figure 3(b), typical DMPO−•OH adducts (aN = 1.49 mT, aH =
258
1.49 mT) and DMPO−SO4•− adducts (aN = 1.38 mT, aH = 1.02 mT, aH = 0.14 mT, aH = 0.08
259
mT) signals can be confirmed based on the previous literature 25, indicating the generation of
260
SO4•− and •OH in the Cr(VI)-sulfite reaction system. Coumarin was used as a chemical probe
261
for •OH (Reaction 3) 26, to compare the formation of •OH in the Cr(VI)-sulfite system under
262
various gas atmospheres. As shown in Figure 3(c), the production of 7-hydroxycoumarin
263
(•OH + coumarin) was determined in an air atmosphere, however it was greatly inhibited in
264
an argon atmosphere. These results confirm the participation of oxygen for •OH and SO4•−
265
generation in the Cr(VI)-sulfite system. Thus, explaining the small quantity of As(III)
266
oxidized in an argon atmosphere – the observed oxidation may be attributed to remnants of 11
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oxygen dissolved in the reaction mixture. Significant amounts of As(V) were formed in air
268
and oxygen atmospheres, respectively in Figure 3(c). Besides, oxidation of sulfite by oxygen
269
and its derived reactive radicals accounted for the enhanced depletion of sulfite, which led to
270
the inferior reduction of Cr(VI) in air and oxygen atmospheres to that in an argon atmosphere
271
(Figure S11).
272
To quantitatively differentiate the roles of various active species in As(III) oxidation,
273
radicals scavenging experiments for As(V) formation were performed by adding EtOH and
274
TBA with 400:1 molar ratio of the alcohols versus sulfite. Previous works 14, 27-32 have shown
275
that EtOH can effectively scavenge HO• and SO4•- at a rate of (1.2−2.8) × 109 M−1 s−1 and
276
(1.6−7.7) × 107 M−1 s−1, respectively. As for the alcohols without α-hydrogen, the rate
277
constant of TBA reacting with HO• was (3.8−7.6) × 108 M−1 s−1, approximately 3 orders of
278
magnitude greater than that with sulfate radicals ((4.0−9.1) × 105 M−1 s−1). Other radicals, e.g.,
279
SO5•− and SO3•−, generated in this system are fairly inert toward alcohols (k ≤ 103 M−1 s−1).
280
Table S1 indicates that As(V) generation in the Cr(VI)-sulfite system was greatly affected by
281
the presence of EtOH, implying that HO• and SO4•− were primary responsible for As(III)
282
oxidation, approximately 89% at 10 min and 91% at 60 min, respectively. Although SO3•−
283
and SO5•− were produced in this system, they cannot efficiently oxidize As(III) to As(V)
284
(E(SO3•−/SO32-) = 0.72 VNHE, E(SO5•−/SO52-) = 1.1 VNHE)
285
remaining 11.0% and 9.2% of As(V) formation within 10 and 60 min, respectively. As for
286
adding TBA in solution, the transformation of the As(III) decreased by 31.2% and 31.6%
287
within 10 and 60 min, respectively. In the Cr(VI) sulfite system, SO4•− contributed much
288
more to As(III) oxidation, e.g., 57.8% and 59.2% within 10 and 60 min, respectively than
289
HO•.
290
Effect of metal ions
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, only accounting for the
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Divalent/trivalent metals are often abundant and coexist with Cr(VI) species in many
292
wastewaters, e.g., acid mine drainage, electroplating effluent. Sulfite preferentially forms
293
complexes with Fe(III) over Cr(VI) 11. It is well understood that iron ions are very active for
294
the catalytic oxidation of sulfite via the formation of a ‘generalized’ sulfito-complex of Fe(III)
295
34
296
sulfite radical (SO3•−) can lead to the production of active radicals such as SO4•−, HO• and
297
SO5•−, responsible for the enhanced oxidation of As(III)/sulfite and significantly retarding the
298
reduction of Cr(VI) in As(III)-Fe(II)/Fe(III)-sulfite-Cr(VI) systems (Figure 4 and Figure S12)
299
13
300
addition of Mn(II) depletes sulfite, at an even greater rate (Figure S12), greatly suppressing
301
conversions of As(III) and Cr(VI) in Figure 4
302
explained by the fact that the rate constant of Mn(III) oxidizing sulfite is ca. 5×103 times
303
larger than that for the reaction between Fe(III) and sulfite. Rapid reaction between SO5•− and
304
Mn(II) (≈108 M-1 s-1) regenerates Mn(III), blocking the reaction pathways for the generation
305
of highly active radicals (Reactions 4 and 5)
306
system, the active radicals produced, i.e., HO• and SO4•−, can oxidize Mn(II) to Mn(III) at a
307
rate of 3×107 M-1 s-1 and 2×107 M-1 s-1, respectively, further driving sulfite consumption 31, 32.
308
In contrast, Cu(II), Co(II) and Al(III) did not cause any significant change in the co-
309
conversion of As(III) and Cr(VI).
310
311
312
313 314
. In this case, the fast intramolecular redox decomposition of Fe(III)-sulfite to Fe(II) and the
. Similarly, the formation of SO3•− also involved in Mn(II)-sulfite reaction system, but the
35
. The exceptional activity of Mn(II) can be
35
. Moreover, in the Cr(VI)-As(III)-sulfite
•−
SO3 + O 2 → O3SOO•− k = 2.5×109 M-1 s-1
2−
•−
HSO 3 + O3SOO •− → SO 4 + HSO 4
2−
k = 1.3×107 M-1 s-1
(4)
(5)
Comparison with the Cr(VI)-H2O2 system. Cr(VI) species are known to activate H2O2 to generate HO• for oxidation of organic compounds in water
8, 36
. Thus, a comparison of As(III) oxidation in two Cr(VI)-related 13
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oxidation systems, i.e., Cr(VI)-sulfite and Cr(VI)-H2O2. Figure 5 shows that although Cr(VI)
316
readily reduces with high concentrations of H2O2, the transformation of As(III) to As(V) is
317
low within 60 min. In contrast, relatively low sulfite concentrations were required for
318
complete Cr(VI) reduction, and resulted in more As(III) oxidation within 60 min, in the
319
Cr(VI)-H2O2 system. In addition, the Cr(VI)-sulfite system required no additional chemical
320
reagents because sulfite and Cr(VI) themselves are common industrial contaminants, while
321
expensive, large volumes of H2O2 ($1520/t) are required to drive the oxidation of As(III) in a
322
Cr(VI)-H2O2 system. It is well-known that the peroxochromate(V) complex in Cr(VI)-H2O2
323
systems is potentially the most significant intermediate for •OH formation 36, 37. However, the
324
mechanisms of active radicals formation in Cr(VI)-sulfite reaction systems is not well
325
understood.
326
Mechanism discussion.
327
The studies on Cr(VI) reduction by organic and inorganic acids are well documented. The
328
reaction begins with the formation of chromium(VI) esters followed by either a redox
329
reaction or a unimolecular redox reaction
330
proposed that the mechanism of sulfite oxidation by Cr(VI) involves the sequent
331
condensation of HSO3- with HCrO4- to give activated complexes, i.e., CrSO62- and
332
CrO2(SO3)22- (Reactions (6-8))
333
CrO2(SO3)22- to give Cr(III)-bound SO42- and SO3•− in Reaction (9) was confirmed by a spin
334
trapping technique (Figure 3(a)), which leads to Cr(VI) reduction via an intramolecular
335
electron transfer reaction.
336
337
338
38-40
. Thus, as seen in Scheme 1, it is reasonably
41
. Specifically, one-step, spontaneous decomposition of
−
HCrO 4 + HSO 3− ↔ CrSO 6 2− + H 2 O
H + + HSO 3− ↔ SO 2 ⋅ H 2 O CrSO 6 2− +SO 2 ⋅ H 2 O ↔ CrO 2 (SO 3 )2 2− + H 2O 14
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CrO 2 (SO 3 )2 2− +4H 2O + 2H + ↔ SO 4 Cr(H 2 O)5 + SO 3
340
CrSO6 2− + H + + HCrO 4 ↔ O3CrOCrO3SO 3 2− + H 2 O
341
O3CrOCrO3SO3 2 − → 2Cr(V) + SO 4
342
Cr(V) + S(IV) → Cr(III) + S(VI)
+
•−
(9)
−
(10)
2−
(11)
(12)
343
Increasing the concentration of Cr(VI) in aqueous solution, Cr(VI) reduction was
344
accelerated, with less sulfite consumption (shown in Table 1). Cr(VI) species probably
345
participates with CrSO62- in the formation of the complex (O3CrOCrO3SO32-), which then
346
decomposes into Cr(V) and sulfate ions (see Reactions 10 and 11). The formed Cr(V) is
347
probably directly bound to sulfite, leading to the direct reduction to Cr(III) in Reaction 12,
348
by-passing the highly energetic intermediates Cr(IV) 41. Reactions 10 and 11 should compete
349
with Reaction 8 and therefore block the one-step, three-electron reaction of Cr(VI) and SO3•−
350
production in Reaction 9. Thus, this step can account for relatively less generation of active
351
radicals and a higher ratio of [Cr(VI)]reduction/[sulfite]consumption at high [Cr(VI)]0 (Table 1). The
352
two fates of CrSO62- in Reactions 8 and 10 were demonstrated by Haight et al.
353
for the variation in stoichiometric values of [sulfite]consumption/[Cr(VI)]reduction, i.e., 3/2 and 2/1
354
(see Rreaction 1 and 2). Reactions 7, 9 and 10 consume protons, which can explain the
355
acidity dependence of Cr(VI)-sulfite reactions.
41
to account
356
In an Ar-saturated solution, the transformation of SO3•− proceeds via Reactions 13 and 14,
357
which would terminate the radical propagation processes. As a consequence, a negligibly
358
measurable •OH signal was observed in the fluorescence spectrum and oxidation of As(III)
359
was significantly inhibited in this anaerobic environment (see Figure 3(c)).
360
•−
•−
SO3 + SO3 → S2O6
2−
k = 1.5×109 M-1 s-1
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•−
2−
−
SO3 + HCrO 4 → SO 4 + Cr(V)
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362
However, when Cr(VI)-sulfite reaction is exposed to an oxygen atmosphere, the unstable
363
SO3•− is prone to being oxidized by oxygen and then gives rise to the formation of the
364
oxygen-centered peroxymonosulfate (O3SOO•−) and sulfate (SO4•−) anion radicals through
365
chain propagation steps shown in Reactions 4 and 5 23, 42: 2−
SO 4 + H 2O → SO 4 + • OH + H + k = (103-104) M-1 s-1 •−
366
(15)
367
In this scenario, SO4•− can oxidize almost any biomolecular H2O for •OH production
368
(Reaction 15) 31. Although, in a Cr(VI)-sulfite reaction system, the radicals of •OH and SO4•−
369
are very strong oxidants, they may not lead to the re-oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI)
370
(E(HCrO4−/Cr3+) = 1.35 VNHE) due to the excess of sulfite (E(SO42−/SO2) = 0.158 VNHE).
371
Thus, scavenging the radicals of •OH and SO4•− by free sulfite can be responsible for deviant
372
stoichiometric consumption of sulfite (k•OH/sulfite = 4.5×109 M−1 s−1 and kSO4•−/sulfite > 2.0×109
373
M−1 s−1).This is verified by a greater production of sulfate ions than in the argon atmosphere,
374
Cr(VI)-sulfite reaction system, as shown in Figure S13(a,b). These findings also explain the
375
requirement of excess sulfite for complete Cr(VI) reduction in acidic solutions in previous
376
studies 2, 10-12.
377
However, when As(III) is present in a Cr(VI)-sulfite system, it can scavenge highly active
378
radicals such as •OH (k•OH/As(III) = 8.5×109 M-1 s-1) and SO4•− (kSO4•−/As(III) > 8.0×108 M−1 s−1) 31.
379
As a consequence, sulfite oxidation, mediated by active radicals can be interrupted with
380
oxidative transformation of As(III) to As(V), which in turn accelerates the reduction of
381
Cr(VI). Thus, compared with a Cr(VI)-sulfite reaction in an air atmosphere, much less sulfate
382
was produced in a Cr(VI)-sulfite-As(III) reaction system (Figure S13(c)). Generally, in a
383
Cr(VI)-sulfite system, the presence of other organic/inorganic pollutants decreases the
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amount of sulfite required for Cr(VI) reduction and therefore the sulfate concentration in the
385
resulting waste water.
386
Environmental implications.
387
In the present study, we shed light on the involvement of SO4•− (2.5−3.1 VNHE) and •OH
388
(1.8−2.7 VNHE, pH dependent) in Cr(VI)-sulfite systems, which can be potentially utilized for
389
the oxidation of other pollutants with rates of 104-1010 M-1 s-1 and 107-1010 M-1 s-1,
390
respectively
391
concentrated Cr(VI) electroplating effluent from the electroplating industrial park of Qingdao
392
Development Zone ([Cr(VI)] = 162.7 mg L-1, [Fe] = 79 µM, pH = 2.23) was utilized to
393
examine organic pollutant removal in an air atmosphere. For example, 40 µM rhodamine B
394
(100 mL, pH = 3.0), a common contaminant, can be quickly bleached with the addition of a
395
portion of initiator (1.6 mL real Cr(VI) electroplating effluent and 1.2 mM sulfite).
396
Approximately 24% TOC was diminished after adding a second portion of initiator. This
397
result validates that the traditional Cr(VI) reducing process can be potentially, and
398
economically upgraded for the treatment of Cr(VI) and other inorganic/organic pollutants
399
mixed wastewaters (e.g., chromate-containing textile wastewater and tannery wastewater)
400
with externally added sulfite as the reductant or the synergetic transformations of multiple
401
pollutants, such as Cr(VI) reduction, sulfite oxidation and the oxidation of other
402
inorganic/organic pollutants if mixing their relevant wastewaters is cost effective.
31, 32
. To evaluate the industrial flexibility of this proposed process, real
403
There is an environmental risk that a sulfite process, can cause the toxic release of SO2 in
404
an acidic environment (pH ≤ 3.5 in Figure S8) and high concentrations of sulfate will remain
405
in the waste water. In spite of these, compared with the traditional sulfite reducing Cr(VI)
406
process, the upgraded process, utilizing SO4•− and •OH for the oxidation of other
407
inorganic/organic pollutants in acidic solutions (pH ≤ 4.5) with a [sulfite]0/[Cr(VI)]0 ratio of
408
3.0-8.0, requires less sulfite addition for more Cr(VI) reduction. Thus, it effectively alleviates 17
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the environmental risks, making the process of sulfite reducing Cr(VI) more environmentally
410
favourablele. As such, the Cr(VI)-sulfite system is a new cost-effective technology for the
411
treatment of various industrial wastewaters.
412
Acknowledgment
413
This work is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.
414
21376268, 21176260, 51372277, 21302224), the National Basic Research Development
415
Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2011CB605703), the Taishan Scholar Foundation (No.
416
ts20130929), and Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (ZR2013BQ028). The
417
authors thank Michelle Bush from Southern Cross University, Australia for her kind help in
418
proof-reading.
419
Supporting Information Available
420
Additional experimental evidences. This material is available free of charge via the Internet at
421
http://pubs.acs.org.
422
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423
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20. Kim, K.; Choi, W. Enhanced Redox Conversion of Chromate and Arsenite in Ice.
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22. Wu, Y.; Ma, X.; Feng, M.; Liu, M. Behavior of chromium and arsenic on activated
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carbon. J. Hazard. Mater. 2008, 159 (2–3), 380-384.
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23. Hayon, E.; Treinin, A.; Wilf, J. Electronic spectra, photochemistry, and autoxidation
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mechanism of the sulfite-bisulfite-pyrosulfite systems. SO2-, SO3-, SO4-, and SO5- radicals. J.
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species in TiO2 photocatalysis using the fluorescence technique. Electrochem. Commun.
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29. Stemmler, A. J.; Burrows, C. J. Guanine versus deoxyribose damage in DNA oxidation
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32. Buxton, G. V.; Greenstock, C. L.; Helman, W. P.; Ross, A. B. Critical Review of rate
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constants for reactions of hydrated electrons, hydrogen atoms and hydroxyl radicals (•OH/O•−
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33. Das, T. N.; Huie, R. E.; Neta, P. Reduction Potentials of SO3•-, SO5•-, and S4O6•3- Radicals 20
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34. Lente, G.; Fábián, I. Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of sulfur(IV) by iron(III) at
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metal ion excess. J. Chem. Soc., Dalton T. 2002 (5), 778-784.
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35. Fronaeus, S.; Berglund, J.; Elding, L. I. Iron-manganese redox processes and synergism in
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the mechanism for manganese-catalyzed autoxidation of hydrogen sulfite. Inorg. Chem.
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1998, 37 (19), 4939-4944.
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36. Bokare, A. D.; Choi, W. Advanced Oxidation Process Based on the Cr(III)/Cr(VI) Redox
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Cycle. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45 (21), 9332-9338.
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37. Zhang, L.; Lay, P. A. EPR spectroscopic studies on the formation of chromium (V)
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peroxo complexes in the reaction of chromium (VI) with hydrogen peroxide. Inorganic
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Chemistry 1998, 37 (8), 1729-1733.
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38. Mason, J. G.; Kowalak, A. D.; Tuggle, R. M. Kinetics of the chromium(VI)-arsenic(III)
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reaction. II. Dihydrogen phosphate-hydrogen phosphate buffer solutions. Inorg. Chem. 1970,
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39. Westheimer, F. H. The Mechanisms of Chromic Acid Oxidations. Chem. Rev. 1949, 45
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40. Connett, P.; Wetterhahn, K. Reaction of chromium(VI) with thiols: pH dependence of
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41. Haight Jr, G.; Perchonock, E.; Emmenegger, F.; Gordon, G. The Mechanism of the
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Oxidation of Sulfur(IV) by Chromium(VI) in Acid Solution1. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1965, 87
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42. Buxton, G.; McGowan, S.; Salmon, G.; Williams, J.; Wood, N. A study of the spectra and
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reactivity of oxysulphur-radical anions involved in the chain oxidation of S(IV): A pulse and
529
γ-radiolysis study. Atmos. Environ.1996, 30 (14), 2483-2493.
530 531
532
533
21
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Figure 1. (a) Oxidation of As(III), (b) reduction of Cr(VI) and (c) consumption of sulfite
536
under varying experimental conditions ([As(III)]0 = 50 µM, [Cr(III)]0 or [Cr(VI)]0
537
=50 µM, [sulfite]0 = 400 µM, [pyrosulfite]0 = 400 µM, [hydrosulfite]0 = 400 µM,
538
[hyposulfite]0 = 400 µM, pHini = 3.5). 22
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540 541
Figure 2. The effect of solution pH on the oxidation of As(III) ([As(III)]0 = 50 µM, [Cr(VI)]0= 50 µM, [sulfite]0 = 400 µM).
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
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553 554
Figure 3. ESR spectrum of sulfite radical (a) (100 mM DMPO, [Cr(VI)]0= 0.3 mM, [sulfite]0
555
= 1.8 mM, pHini = 3.5), ESR spectrum of sulfate and hydroxyl radicals (b) (25 mM
556
DMPO, [Cr(VI)]0= 0.3 mM, [sulfite]0 = 1.8 mM, pHini = 3.5, initiating reaction in
557
argon atmosphere and then in an oxygenating condition, ★ represents DMPO-•OH
558
adduct and ▼ represents DMPO-SO4•− adduct), determination of hydroxyl radical
559
using fluorescence spectrometry (c) and the formation of As(V) (c) in Cr(VI)-sulfite
560
system under various gas atmospheres ([coumarin]0 = 1 mM, [Cr(VI)]0= 50 µM,
561
[As(III)]0 = 50 µM, [sulfite]0 = 400 µM, pHini = 3.5).
562
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563 564
Figure 4. Effects of coexisting metal ions on simultaneous transformations of As(III), Cr(VI)
565
and sulfite in Cr(VI)-sulfite systems ([As(III)]0 = 50 µM, [Cr(VI)]0= 50 µM,
566
[sulfite]0 = 400 µM, [metal ions] = 50 µM, pHinit. = 3.5).
567
25
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568 569
Figure 5. Comparisons of oxidation capacity for As(III) (a) and Cr(VI) reduction capacity (b)
570
between the Cr(VI)-sulfite system and Cr(VI)-H2O2 system ([As(III)]0 = 50 µM,
571
[Cr(VI)]0= 50 µM, pHinit = 3.5).
572
573
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Table 1. The effect of reagents concentrations on the transformations of As(III) and Cr(VI) and sulfite within 60 min (pHini = 3.5). 574 Cr(VI) (µM)
25
50
75
100
50
50
50
100
200
400
400
400
400
As(III) (µM)
50
50
50
50
25
75
100
100
200
400
400
400
400
sulfite (µM)
400
400
400
400
400
400
400
800
1600
1000
1200
1600
2400
Cr(VI) reduction
25
48.9
63.6
69.6
44.6
49.3
49.6
100
200
297.9
380.8
399.8
399.9
400 575 400 576 3200 577 400
As(III) oxidation
20.5
31.6
35.0
38.4
23.1
38.4
47.3
59.3
73.6
124.5
182.5
130.7
84.6
578 75.4
sulfite consumption
220.5
336.1
388.0
396.0
381.8
316.6
301.2
662.2
997.6
991.0
1151.0
1262.5
1181.8
1055.5 579
[As(III)]oxidation/[Cr(VI)]reduction
0.82
0.65
0.55
0.55
0.52
0.78
0.95
0.59
0.37
0.42
0.48
0.33
0.21
0.19 580
[Cr(VI)]reduction/ [sulfite]consumption
0.11
0.15
0.16
0.18
0.12
0.16
0.16
0.15
0.20
0.30
0.33
0.32
0.34
581 0.38 582
583 584 585 586 587
27
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588 589
Scheme 1. Proposed pathways for the reduction of Cr(VI) and the formation of active species, i.e., HO• and SO4•−, in the Cr(VI)/sulfite system.
590 591
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