Abstract
Since Cr(VI) is highly toxic, the environmental reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) has attracted significant attention. Oxalic acid, a primary component of dissolved organic matter (DOM), is widely distributed throughout the natural environment but the reduction of Cr(VI) by oxalic acid is insignificant at the low concentrations present in the environment; however, the reduction of Cr(VI) is accelerated significantly in ice. In terms of combined pollution, Cr(VI) can coexist with other organic pollutants in the environment but the impact of organic pollutants on the reduction of Cr(VI), changes to the organic pollutants themselves, and the role of oxalic acid in these reactions are unknown. In this study, we investigated redox reactions between Cr(VI) and phenolic compounds in ice (− 15 °C) in the presence of oxalic acid and compared these to room temperature redox reactions in aqueous solutions (20 °C). While these redox reactions were negligible in aqueous solution, they were significantly accelerated in ice under acidic conditions, which was primarily attributed to the freeze concentration effect. Oxalic acid has two functions in these redox reactions; the first is to provide the H+ required for the reaction and the second is to serve as a reducing agent. When oxalic acid and phenolic pollutants coexist, Cr(VI) preferentially reacts with the phenolic compounds. Phenol, 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) were each demonstrated to reduce Cr(VI) in ice, but the reaction rate and overall reactivity of these three phenolic compounds are different.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anzo K, Harada M, Okada T (2013) Enhanced kinetics of pseudo first-order hydrolysis in liquid phase coexistent with ice. Phys Chem A 117(41):10619–10625
Bock J, Savarino J, Picard G (2016) Air–snow exchange of nitrate: a modelling approach to investigate physicochemical processes in surface snow at Dome C, Antarctica. Atmos Chem Phys 16(19):12531–12550
Barrera-Díaz CE, Lugo-Lugo V, Bilyeu B (2012) A review of chemical, electrochemical and biological methods for aqueous Cr(VI) reduction. J Hazard Mater 223−224:1–12
Bartels-Rausch T, Krysztofiak G, Bernhard A, Schlappi M, Schwikowski M, Ammann M (2011) Photoinduced reduction of divalent mercury in ice by organic matter. Chemosphere 82(2):199–203
Chebeir M, Liu H (2016) Kinetics and Mechanisms of Cr(VI) Formation via the oxidation of Cr(III) solid phases by chlorine in drinking water. Environ Sci Technol 50:701–710
Calza P, Medana C, Sarroa M, Baiocchi C, Minero C (2013) Photolytic degradation of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide in ice and water: implications in its environmental fate. J Photochem Photobiol A-Chem 271:99–104
Gu L, Huang B, Lai C, Xu Z, He H, Pan X (2018) The microbial transformation of 17β estradiol in an anaerobic aqueous environment is mediated by changes in the biological properties of natural dissolved organic matter. Sci Total Environ 631-632:641–648
Grannas AM, Bogdal C, Hageman KJ, Halsall C, Harner T, Hung H, Kallenborn R, Klan P, Klanova J, Macdonald RW (2013) The role of the global cryosphere in the fate of organic contaminants. Atmos Chem Phys 13(6):3271–3305
Grannas AM, Bausch AR, Mahanna KM (2007) Enhanced aqueous photochemical reaction rates after freezing. J Phys Chem A 111(43):11043–11049
Ju J, Kim J, Vetráková L, Seo J, Heger D, Lee C, Yoon H, Kim K, Kim J (2017) Accelerated redox reaction between chromate and phenolic pollutants during freezing. J Hazard Mater 329:330–338
Jeong D, Kim K, Choi W (2012) Accelerated dissolution of iron oxides in ice. Atmos Chem Phys 12(22):11125–11133
Klanova J, Klan P, Nosek J, Holoubek I (2003) Environmental ice photochemistry: monochlorophenols. Environ Sci Technol 37:1568–1574
Kim K, Chung HY, Ju J, Kim J (2017) Freezing-enhanced reduction of chromate by nitrite. Sci Total Environ 590:107–113
Khairy MA, Luek JL, Dickhut R, Lohmann R (2016) Levels, sources and chemical fate of persistent organic pollutants in the atmosphere and snow along the western Antarctic Peninsula. Environ Pollut 216:304–313
Kim K, Yabushita A, Okumura M, Saiz-Lopez A, Cuevas CA, Blaszczak-Boxe CS, Min DW, Yoon HI, Choi WY (2016) Production of molecular iodine and tri-iodide in the frozen solution of iodide: implication for polar atmosphere. Environ Sci Technol 50:1280–1287
Kim K, Kim J, Bokare AD, Choi W, Yoon HI, Kim J (2015) Enhanced removal of hexavalent chromium in the presence of H2O2 in frozen aqueous solutions. Environ Sci Technol 49:10937–10944
Kim K, Yoon HI, Choi W (2012) Enhanced dissolution of manganese oxide in ice compared to aqueous phase under illuminated and dark conditions. Environ Sci Technol 46(24):13160–13166
Kim K, Choi W (2011) Enhanced redox conversion of chromate and arsenite in ice. Environ Sci Technol 45(6):2202–2208
Kim K, Choi W, Hoffmann MR, Yoon HI, Park BK (2010) Photoreductive dissolution of iron oxides trapped in ice and its environmental implications. Environ Sci Technol 44:4142–4148
Luděk B, Klánová J, Klán P, Janošek J, Škarek M, Růžička R (2004) Toxicity increases in ice containing monochlorophenols upon photolysis: environmental consequences. Environ Sci Technol 38(10):2873–2878
Lipczynska-Kochany E (2018) Humic substances, their microbial interactions and effects on biological transformations of organic pollutants in water and soil: a review. Chemosphere 202:420–437
Liu Z, Liu Y, Ho CH, Liu Y, Jing X, Cheng A (2018) Synthesis of nano-Fe0/PEI composite and its reduction and chelation mechanisms for Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. J Environ Eng 144(3):04018004
Ly QV, Hur J (2018) Further insight into the roles of the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on ultrafiltration membranes as revealed by multiple advanced DOM characterization tools. Chemosphere 201:168–177
Liu Y, Sun H, Zhang L, Feng L (2017) Photodegradation behaviors of 17β-estradiol in different water matrixes. Proc Saf Environ Prot 112:335–341
Ma L, Yates SR (2018) Dissolved organic matter and estrogen interactions regulate estrogen removal in the aqueous environment: a review. Sci Total Environ 640-641:529–542
Meyer T, Wania F (2011) Modeling the elution of organic chemicals from a melting homogeneous snow pack. Water Res 45(12):3627–3637
Qin X, Du P, Chen J, Liu F, Wang G, Weng L (2018) Effects of natural organic matter with different properties on levofloxacin adsorption to goethite: experiments and modeling. Chem Eng J 345:425–431
Studenroth S, Huber SG, Kotte K, Scholer HF (2013) Natural abiotic formation of oxalic acid in soils: results from aromatic model compounds and soil samples. Environ Sci Technol 47:1323–1329
Takenaka N, Ueda A, Maeda Y (1992) Acceleration of the rate of nitrite oxidation by freezing in aqueous solution. Nature 358:736–738
Yu J, Jiang C, Guan Q, Ning P, Gu J, Chen Q, Zhang J, Miao R (2018) Enhanced removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by supported ZnO nanoparticles on biochar derived from waste water hyacinth. Chemosphere 195:632–640
Yang Y, Lohwacharin J, Takizawa S (2017) Analysis of adsorption processes of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on ferrihydrite using surrogate organic compounds. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 24(27):21867–21876
Zhong Y, Kang C, Wang Y, Xu X, Bao S, Xue H, Tian T (2017) Influences of freezing on the reduction of Cr(VI) by typical components of dissolved organic matter. Chem J Chin Univ-Chin 38:2289–2295
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41073063).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic supplementary material
ESM 1
(DOCX 37 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, N., Zhong, Y., Kang, C. et al. Effects of oxalic acid on Cr(VI) reduction by phenols in ice. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 29780–29788 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06089-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06089-8