DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1995.tb00275.x. Evidence for Enhanced Mineral Dissolution in Organic Acid‐Rich Shallow Ground Water

Evidence for Enhanced Mineral Dissolution in Organic Acid‐Rich Shallow Ground Water

10.1111/j.1745-6584.1995.tb00275.x

Crossref journal-article

Wiley

Groundwater (311)

Abstract

AbstractTotal concentrations of formate, acetate, and isobutyrate varied from less than 5 to greater than 9,000 μmol/l over distances of < 3 m in ground water from a shallow hydrocarbon contaminated aquifer. Laboratory incubations of aquifer material indicate that organic acid concentrations were dependent on the amount of hydrocarbon loading in the sediment and the relative rates of microbial organic acid production and consumption. In heavily contaminated sediments, production greatly exceeded consumption and organic acid concentrations increased. In lightly contaminated sediments rates were essentially equal and organic acid concentrations remained low. Concentrations of dissolved calcium, magnesium, and iron generally were one to two orders of magnitude higher in organic acid‐rich ground water than in ground water having low organic acid concentrations. Carbonate and Fe(III)‐oxyhydroxide minerals were the likely sources of these elements. Similarly, concentrations of dissolved silica, derived from quartz and k‐feldspar, were higher in organic acid‐rich ground water than in other waters. The positive relation (r = 0.60, p < .05, n = 16) between concentrations of silica and organic acids suggests that the microbially mediated buildup of organic acids in ground water enhanced quartz/k‐feldspar dissolution in the aquifer, although it was not the only factor influencing their dissolution. A model that included organic acid microequivalents normalized by cation microequivalents significantly strengthened the correlation (r = 0.79, p < .001, n = 16) between dissolved silica and organic acid concentrations, indicating that competition between silica and cations for complexation sites on organic acids also influenced quartz/k‐feldspar dissolution. Physical evidence for enhanced mineral dissolution in organic acid‐rich waters included scanning electron microscopy images of highly corroded quartz and k‐feldspar grains from portions of the aquifer containing organic acid‐rich ground water. Microporosity generated in hydrocarbon contaminated sediments may adversely affect remediation efforts that depend on the efficient injection of electron acceptors into an aquifer or on the recovery of solutes from an aquifer.

Bibliography

McMahon, P. B., Vroblesky, D. A., Bradley, P. M., Chapelle, F. H., & Gullett, C. D. (1995). Evidence for Enhanced Mineral Dissolution in Organic AcidâRich Shallow Ground Water. Groundwater, 33(2), 207â216. Portico.

Authors 5

Peter B. McMahon (first)
Don A. Vroblesky (additional)
Paul M. Bradley (additional)
Francis H. Chapelle (additional)
Cheryl D. Gullett (additional)

References 27 Referenced 47

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10.1080/01490459309377937
10.1007/BF01890379
10.1016/0016-7037(94)90511-8
Crossey L. J. R. C.Surdam andR.Lahann.1986.Application of organic/inorganic diagenesis to porosity prediction. In:Gautier D. L.ed. Roles of Organic Matter in Sediment Diagenesis. SEPM Special Publication 38. pp.147–155. (10.2110/pec.86.38.0147)
10.1111/j.1745-6584.1992.tb01795.x
10.1126/science.258.5080.278
Kharaka Y. K. L. M.Law W. W.Carothers andD. F.Goerlitz.1986.Role of organic species dissolved in formation waters from sedimentary basin in mineral diagenesis. In:Gautier D. L. ed. Roles of Organic Matter in Sediment Diagenesis. SEPM Special Publication 38. pp.111–122. (10.2110/pec.86.38.0111)
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10.1128/aem.55.12.3234-3236.1989 / Applied Environ. Microbiol / Requirement for a microbial consortium to completely oxidize glucose in Fe(III)‐reducing sediment by Lovley D. R. (1989)
Lundegard P. D.andL. S.Land.1986.Carbon dioxide and organic acids: Their role in porosity enhancement and cementation Paleogene of the Texas Gulf Coast. In:Gautier D. L. Roles of Organic Matter in Sediment Diagenesis. SEPM Special Publication 38. pp.129–146. (10.2110/pec.86.38.0129)
10.1038/349233a0
{'key': 'e_1_2_1_18_1', 'first-page': '1', 'article-title': 'Role of microbial processes in linking sandstone diagenesis with organic‐rich clays', 'volume': '62', 'author': 'McMahon P. B.', 'year': '1992', 'journal-title': 'J. Sed. Petrol'} / J. Sed. Petrol / Role of microbial processes in linking sandstone diagenesis with organic‐rich clays by McMahon P. B. (1992)
Meshri I. D.1986.On the reactivity of carbonic and organic acids and generation of secondary porosity. SEPM Special Publication 38. pp.123–128. (10.2110/pec.86.38.0123)
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Plummer L. N. B. F.Jones andA. H.Truesdell.1976.WATEQF–A FORTRAN IV Version of WATEQ A Computer Program for Calculating Chemical Equilibrium of Natural Waters. U.S. Geological Survey Water‐Resources Investigations Report 76‐13.63pp.
{'key': 'e_1_2_1_22_1', 'first-page': '53', 'article-title': 'Porosity controls of the Balck Mingo and Santee carbonate aquifers, Georgetown County, South Carolina', 'volume': '25', 'author': 'Powell R. J.', 'year': '1981', 'journal-title': 'South Carolina Geology'} / South Carolina Geology / Porosity controls of the Balck Mingo and Santee carbonate aquifers, Georgetown County, South Carolina by Powell R. J. (1981)
{'key': 'e_1_2_1_23_1', 'first-page': '245', 'article-title': 'A study of Fourier grain shape analysis and batch recoveries of bitumen from Athabasca Oil Sands', 'volume': '1', 'author': 'Smith M. M.', 'year': '1985', 'journal-title': 'AOSTRA Journal of Research'} / AOSTRA Journal of Research / A study of Fourier grain shape analysis and batch recoveries of bitumen from Athabasca Oil Sands by Smith M. M. (1985)
{'key': 'e_1_2_1_24_1', 'first-page': '1795', 'article-title': 'Secondary porosity revisited: The chemistry of feldspar dissolution by carboxylic acids and anions', 'volume': '74', 'author': 'Stoessell R. K.', 'year': '1990', 'journal-title': 'Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol'} / Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol / Secondary porosity revisited: The chemistry of feldspar dissolution by carboxylic acids and anions by Stoessell R. K. (1990)
10.1016/0883-2927(87)90013-8
{'key': 'e_1_2_1_26_1', 'first-page': '1', 'article-title': 'Organic‐inorganic interactions and sandstone diagenesis', 'volume': '73', 'author': 'Surdam R. C.', 'year': '1989', 'journal-title': 'Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol'} / Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol / Organic‐inorganic interactions and sandstone diagenesis by Surdam R. C. (1989)
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10.1126/science.247.4950.1569

Dates

Type	When
Created	20 years, 1 month ago (Aug. 4, 2005, 4:18 p.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 10 months ago (Oct. 25, 2023, 1:12 p.m.)
Indexed	4 months, 2 weeks ago (April 23, 2025, 3:46 a.m.)
Issued	30 years, 6 months ago (March 1, 1995)
Published	30 years, 6 months ago (March 1, 1995)
Published Online	20 years, 1 month ago (Aug. 4, 2005)
Published Print	30 years, 6 months ago (March 1, 1995)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{McMahon_1995, title={Evidence for Enhanced Mineral Dissolution in Organic Acid‐Rich Shallow Ground Water}, volume={33}, ISSN={1745-6584}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.1995.tb00275.x}, DOI={10.1111/j.1745-6584.1995.tb00275.x}, number={2}, journal={Groundwater}, publisher={Wiley}, author={McMahon, Peter B. and Vroblesky, Don A. and Bradley, Paul M. and Chapelle, Francis H. and Gullett, Cheryl D.}, year={1995}, month=mar, pages={207–216} }

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