Surface complex model activity coefficients

In surface-complexation models, the relationship between the proton and metal/surface-site complexes is explicitly defined in the formulation of the proposed (but hypothetical) microscopic subreactions. In contrast, in macroscopic models, the relationship between solute adsorption and the overall proton activity is chemically less direct there is no information given about the source of the proton other than a generic relationship between adsorption and changes in proton activity. The macroscopic solute adsorption/pH relationships correspond to the net proton release or consumption from all chemical interactions involved in proton tranfer. Since it is not possible to account for all of these contributions directly for many heterogeneous systems of interest, the objective of the macroscopic models is to establish and calibrate overall partitioning coefficients with respect to observed system variables. 

Various chemical surface complexation models have been developed to describe potentiometric titration and metal adsorption data at the oxide—mineral solution interface. Surface complexation models provide molecular descriptions of metal adsorption using an equilibrium approach that defines surface species, chemical reactions, mass balances, and charge balances. Thermodynamic properties such as solid-phase activity coefficients and equilibrium constants are calculated mathematically. The major advancement of the chemical surface complexation models is consideration of charge on both the adsorbate metal ion and the adsorbent surface. In addition, these models can provide insight into the stoichiometry and reactivity of adsorbed species. Application of these models to reference oxide minerals has been extensive, but their use in describing ion adsorption by clay minerals, organic materials, and soils has been more limited. 

Various empirical and chemical models of metal adsorption were presented and discussed. Empirical model parameters are only valid for the experimental conditions under which they were determined. Surface complexation models are chemical models that provide a molecular description of metal and metalloid adsorption reactions using an equilibrium approach. Four such models, the constant capacitance model, the diffuse layer model, the triple layer model, and the CD-MUSIC model, were described. Characteristics common to all the models are equilibrium constant expressions, mass and charge balances, and surface activity coefficient electrostatic potential terms. Various conventions for defining the standard state activity coefficients for the surface species have been... 

The triple layer model has been described in detail elsewhere (11, 16, 17) however, the model as reported here has been slightly modified from the original versions (11, 15) in two ways (i) metal ions are allowed to form surface complexes at either the o- or 8-plane insted of at the 8-plane only, and (ii) the thermodynamic basis of the TLM has been modified leading to a different relationship between activity coefficients and interfacial potentials. The implementation and basis for these modifications are described below. 

The constant-capacitance model (Goldberg, 1992) assigns all adsorbed ions to inner-sphere surface complexes. Since this model also employs the constant ionic medium reference state for activity coefficients, the background electrolyte is not considered and, therefore, no diffuse-ion swarm appears in the model structure. Activity coefficients of surface species are assumed to sub-divide, as in the triplelayer model, but the charge-dependent part is a function of the overall valence of the surface complex (Zk in Table 9.8) and an inner potential at the colloid surface exp(Z F l,s// 7). Physical closure in the model is achieved with the surface charge-potential relation ... 

The TLM (Davis and Leckie, 1978) is the most complex model described in Figure 4. It is an example of an SCM. These models describe sorption within a framework similar to that used to describe reactions between metals and ligands in solutions (Kentef fll., 1988 Davis and Kent, 1990 Stumm, 1992). Reactions involving surface sites and solution species are postulated based on experimental data and theoretical principles. Mass balance, charge balance, and mass action laws are used to predict sorption as a function of solution chemistry. Different SCMs incorporate different assumptions about the nature of the solid - solution interface. These include the number of distinct surface planes where cations and anions can attach (double layer versus triple layer) and the relations between surface charge, electrical capacitance, and activity coefficients of surface species. 

In natural waters, other surface reactions will be occurring simultaneously. These include protonation and deprotonation of the >FeOH site at the inner o-plane and complexation of other cations and anions to either the inner (o) or outer (IS) surface planes. Expressions similar to Equation (5) above can be written for each of these reactions. In most studies, the activity coefficients of surface species are assumed to be equal to unity thus, the activities of the surface sites and surface species are equal to their concentrations. Different standard states for the activities of surface sites and species have been defined either explicitly or implicitly in different studies (Sverjensky, 2003). Sveijensky (2003) notes that the use of a hypothetical 1.0 M standard state or similar convention for the activities of surface sites and surface species leads to surface-complexation constants that are directly dependent on the site density and surface area of the sorbent. He defines a standard state for surfaces sites and species that is based on site occupancy and produces equilibrium constants independent of these properties of the solids. For more details about the properties of the electrical double layer, methods to calculate surface specia-tion and alternative models for activity coefficients for surface sites, the reader should refer to the reference cited above and other works cited therein. 

According to the Langmuir model (Eq.2) the adsorption capacity qm for Cd is 2.5 times grater than for Zn and adsorption capacity qm for Pb is 2 times grater than Zn when granular activated carbon is used. When natural zeolite is used as adsorbent, the adsorption capacity qm for Zn is 5 times lower than Cd and Pb. So, qm varied in the order Cd (II)> Pb(II) >Zn(II) for GAC, and Pb(II) = Cd(II)>Zn(II) for the natural zeolite as adsorbent. Ricordel et al (2001) and Tsoi and Zhao (2004) reported a similar relationship when different adsorbents were used. This can be explained on the basis of their ionic radii, hydration energy, ionic mobility and diffusion coefficient. The explanations of different authors were given on the basis of the surface covered by the adsorbed metal ions or on the basis of metal surface complexation constants and thermodynamic parameters values. 

This Weiss equation is applicable to surface and shallow subsurface water within a limited temperature range. For more complex conditions (higher temperature and salinity) it is necessary to determine directly activities coefficient of nonpolar components using corresponding equations of state of solutions. For instance, according to Pitzer model... 

Flowever, in real systems, activity coefficients may play a small role in nonionic surface complexation reactions. In order for the cancellation to occur in Eqs (186)—(188) requires that the activity coefficient of the surface site and the nonionic complexed surface are the same. For the primitive interfacial model they are the same so the activity coefficient quotient reduces to unity. For nonionic—surface site complexes in real solid—solution interfacial systems the activity coefficients... 

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