Adsorption and desorption of natural organic matter on iron oxide: mechanisms and models

Microbial activity plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron and manganese, especially at the redox gradients characteristic of stratified aquatic environments. These cycles are driven by microbial transformations between oxidized and reduced forms of the metals, allowing organisms to exploit them for metabolic energy and structural purposes.Iron Cycling Across Redox GradientsIn neutral, oxygen-rich surface waters, iron is predominantly found in its oxidized, insoluble ferric...

Adsorption isotherms are mathematical models that describe how molecules in a gas or liquid phase interact with surfaces. Two of the most common isotherm models are the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, which relate to Type I monolayer chemisorption. The Langmuir model is based on four key assumptions:• Adsorption cannot exceed monolayer coverage.• All surface sites are equivalent.• Molecules adsorb only at vacant sites.• There are no interactions between adsorbed molecules.Consider the...

Heterogeneous catalysis involves a catalyst in a different phase from the reactants. It is a process where the catalyst and the reactants are in distinct phases, typically solid and gas or liquid.Most heterogeneous catalysts are metals, metal oxides, or acids. The list includes transition metals like iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), tungsten (W), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu). These metals possess partially vacant d orbitals that...

The degradation of metals due to natural electrochemical processes is known as corrosion. Rust formation on iron, tarnishing of silver, and the blue-green patina that develops on copper are examples of corrosion. Corrosion involves the oxidation of metals. Sometimes it is protective, such as the oxidation of copper or aluminum, wherein a protective layer of metal oxide or its derivatives forms on the surface, protecting the underlying metal from further oxidation. In other cases, corrosion is...

Adsorption is a process where molecules, known as the adsorbates, accumulate on a surface, which is referred to as the adsorbent or substrate. Occurring at the solid-gas interface, this phenomenon is crucial in various scientific and industrial contexts. The reverse of adsorption is desorption.Two types of adsorptions exist: physical (physisorption) and chemical (chemisorption). Physisorption involves gas molecules held to the solid's surface by relatively weak intermolecular van der Waals...

Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) introduced a theory in 1938 that modified Langmuir's assumptions to explain multilayer physical adsorption. This theory is applicable to Type II isotherms and provides a more realistic picture of adsorption processes. The BET theory assumes a uniform solid surface with localized adsorption sites, where adsorption at one site doesn't affect adsorption at neighboring sites. This theory also allows for the possibility of additional molecules being adsorbed on top...