Current knowledge on transport and reactivity of technology-critical elements (TCEs) in soil and aquifer environments

Abstract

Environmental contextTechnology-critical elements, widely used in modern industry, are found in the environment as a result of both anthropogenic usage and natural sources. This review describes current knowledge on the transport of technology-critical elements in sand, soils and aquifer environments. The chemical compositions of the soils and groundwaters influence the transport of technology-critical elements, and natural colloids increase their mobility. AbstractTechnology-critical elements (TCEs) are now present in soil and aquifer environments, as a result not only of the geogenic origin but also of the recent anthropogenic activities and release. TCEs can interact with all components of the soil and water, which include inorganic and organic ligands (natural organic matter), clays, mineral surfaces and microorganisms. The literature regarding the transport and fate of TCEs in subsurface porous media (e.g. soil and aquifers) is limited and highly diverse. This review offers a detailed analysis of the existing literature on the transport and fate of TCEs in porous media, and emphasises what is still needed to fully understand their behaviour in the environment. Different modes of TCE transport are presented. First, the mobility of TCEs following interaction with colloids (e.g. natural organic matter, clays) is described. For these cases, an increase in the ionic strength and pH of aqueous solutions shows stronger retention or sorption of TCEs on porous matrices. The transport of nanoparticles (NPs) that contain TCEs is presented as a second mode of mobility. The ionic strength of the solution is the key parameter that controls the transport of cerium nanoparticles in porous media; natural organic matter also increases the mobility of nanoparticles. The third part of this review describes sorption and dissolution processes during transport. Finally, results from the field experiments are reported, which show that rare earth elements and indium are transported in the presence of natural organic matter. We conclude this review with suggested directions for future research.