Iron oxide surface-catalyzed oxidation of ferrous iron by monochloramine: implications of oxide type and carbonate on reactivity

The maintenance of monochloramine residuals in drinking water distribution systems is one technique often used to minimize microbial outbreaks and thereby maintain the safety of the water. Reactions between oxidizable species and monochloramine can however lead to undesirable losses in the disinfectant residual. Previous work has illustrated that the Fe(II) present within distribution systems is one type of oxidizable species that can exert a monochloramine demand. This paper extends this prior work by examining the kinetics of the reactions between Fe(II) and monochloramine in the presence of a variety of iron oxide surfaces. The identity of the iron oxide plays a significant role in the rate of these reactions. Surface area-normalized initial rate coefficients (k(init)) obtained in the presence of each oxide at pH approximately 6.9 exhibit the following trend in catalytic activity: magnetite > goethite > hematite approximately = lepidocrocite > ferrihydrite. The differences in the activity of these oxides are hypothesized to result from variations in the amount of Fe(II) sorbed to each of the oxides and to dissimilarities in the surface site densities of the oxides. The implications of carbonate on Fe(II) sorption to iron oxides are also examined. Comparing Fe(II) sorption isotherms for goethite obtained under differential carbonate concentrations, it is apparent that as the carbonate concentration (C(T,CO3)) increased from 0 to 11.7 mM that the Fe(II) sorption edge (50% sorption) shifts from a pH of approximately 5.8 to a pH of 7.8. This shift is hypothesized to be the result of the formation of aqueous and surface carbonate-Fe(II) complexes and to competition between carbonate and Fe(II) for surface sites. The implications of these changes are then discussed in light of the variable oxide studies.