Redox Interactions Between Cr(VI) and Fe(II) in Bioreduced Biotite and Chlorite

Contamination of the environment with Cr as chromate (Cr(VI)) from industrial activities is of significant concern as Cr(VI) is a known carcinogen, and is mobile in the subsurface. The capacity of Fe(II)-containing phyllosilicates including biotite and chlorite to alter the speciation, and thus the mobility, of redox-sensitive contaminants including Cr(VI) is of great interest since these minerals are common in soils and sediments. Here, the capacity of bacteria, ubiquitous in the surface and near-surface environment, to reduce Fe(III) in phyllosilicate minerals and, thus, alter their redox reactivity was investigated in two-step anaerobic batch experiments. The model Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens was used to reduce Fe(III) in the minerals, leading to a significant transformation of structural Fe(III) to Fe(II) of 0.16 mmol/g (∼40%) in biotite and 0.15 mmol/g (∼20%) in chlorite. The unaltered minerals could not remove Cr(VI) from solution despite containing a larger excess of Fe(II) ...