The Adsorption of Europium to Colloidal Iron Oxyhydroxides and Quartz - The Impact of pH and an Aquatic Fulvic Acid

The adsorption of europium to colloidal Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, FeOOH, Fe(OH){sub 3} and SiO{sub 2} was investigated as a function of pH and the presence of an aquatic fulvic acid (FA). The colloids were present at concentrations repressentative of the upper levels of natural waters (50-500 mg/l). Measurements with Photon Correlation Spectroscopy showed size distribution typically within the ranges 200-700 nm, 40-400 nm and 50-300 nm for Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, FeOOH and SiO{sub 2}, respectively, while the amorphous Fe(OH){sub 3} formed relatively large particles (>1000 nm; outside the range of the method for measurements of size distribution). Total concentrations of Eu and the fulvic acid were 10{sup -8} mol l{sup -1} and 2 mg l{sup -1}, respectively. The adsorption was affected by pH, the composition of the colloidal phase as well as the presence of fulvic acid. The uptake was almost quantitative in the Fe-systems at pH>5.5-6, with 50% uptake at pH of 4.5-5.5 (4-5 units below pH{sub zpc}). For quartz, the maximum adsorption was around 90% (at pH 9), with 50% adsorption at pH 7 (4 pH units above pH{sub zpc}). The adsorption can not be related to coulombic attraction between the surfaces and the metal species alone, but rather to a specific chemical adsorption, where the pH-dependence would be related to the distribution of Eu between different species (on the surface and in solution). The presence of FA slightly increased the absorption in the lower pH range, corresponding to an adsorption of Eu-fulvate complexes. The adsorption was reaching 100% at higher pH values in the Fe(OH){sub 3} system, while it was decreased in the other three systems compared to the experiments without FA. The decrease could be attributed to competition between inorganic Eu species and the FA-molecules about sites on the surfaces, an effect not obvious in the Fe(OH){sub 3}-systems due to the much larger surface area available. (orig./MBS)