Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Villalobos, M. Articles by Sposito, G. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

Trace Metal Retention on Biogenic Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles

¹ Environmental Bio-Geochemistry Group, LAFQA
Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Coyoacán, 04510, D.F., México
E-mail: marvilla{at}igiris.igeograf.unam.mx
² Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
2575 Sand Hill Road, MS 69, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
³ Environmental Geochemistry Group, Division of Ecosystem Sciences
University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA

Manganese oxides produced by microorganisms are abundant environmental nanoparticles whose high retention capacity for toxic trace metals, especially lead, is well established. Until very recently, our knowledge of the molecular-scale structure and reactivity of these biogenic Mn⁴⁺ oxide minerals was inferred from studies of synthetic analogues prepared in the laboratory. However, biogenic Mn oxides and their reactions with trace metals now can be investigated directly using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, thus bringing new insights into the molecular mechanisms behind the very high scavenging efficiency of these minerals. This new knowledge has important implications for the remediation of trace metal contamination.

KEYWORDS: biogenic manganese oxides, metal sorption reactions, trace metals, X-ray absorption spectroscopy