Publication Details
Characterization and Acid-Mobilization Study of Iron-Containing Mineral Dust Source Materials.Citation
Cwiertny DM, J Baltrusaitis, GJ Hunter, A Laskin, M Scherer, and VH Grassian.2008."Characterization and Acid-Mobilization Study of Iron-Containing Mineral Dust Source Materials."Journal of Geophysical Research. D. (Atmospheres) 113(D5):Art. No. D05202. doi:10.1029/2007JD009332
Abstract
Processes that solubilize the iron in mineral dust aerosols may increase the amount of iron supplied to ocean surface waters, and thereby stimulate phytoplankton productivity. It was recently proposed that mixing of mineral dusts with SO2 and HNO3 produces extremely acidic environments that favor the formation of bioavailable Fe(II). Here, four authentic mineral dust source materials (Saudi Beach sand (SB), Inland Saudi sand (IS), Saharan Sand (SS) and China Loess (CL)) and one commercial reference material (Arizona Test Dust (AZTD)) were spectroscopically characterized, and their dissolution at pH 1 was examined in aqueous batch systems. Spectroscopic analyses indicated that the bulk and near-surface region of all samples possessed similar elemental compositions and that iron was unevenly distributed among dust 10 particles. Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed Fe(III) in all samples, although SB, CL and AZTD also contained appreciable Fe(II). Both Fe(II) and Fe(III) were primarily substituted into aluminosilicates, although CL, AZTD and IS also contained Fe(III) oxides. Total iron solubility (defined as the summed concentration of dissolved Fe(II) and Fe(III) measured after 24 h) ranged 14 between 4-12% of the source materials’ iron content, but did not scale with either the surface area or the iron content of the samples. This suggests that other factors such as iron speciation and mineralogy may play a key role in iron solubility. Also, the elevated nitrate concentrations encountered from nitric acid at pH 1 suppressed dissolution of Fe(II) from AZTD, CL and SB particles, which we propose results from the surface-mediated, non-photochemical reduction of nitrate by Fe(II).
