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Mobility, Reactivity and Bioavailability of TCE’s in the Environment and the Relevance of Geo-Bio-Interactions for TCE (im-)mobilization

Several trace metals have gained societal and economic importance due to their limited and uncertain supply as well as their crucial role in high-tech applications, including various enabling technologies. These Technology-Critical Elements (TCE) are now recognized in the critical raw materials lists that are regularly published by entities such as the European Union and the United States Geological Survey. Notable examples are the rare earth elements, the platinum group elements, antimony, gallium, germanium and scandium.

In natural waters and soil solutions, many of these metals are found, due to their strong particle-reactivity, only in extremely minute concentrations, ranging from ng kg-1 to pg kg-1. However, their booming application in diverse technologies leads to a strongly increasing input from anthropogenic sources into the environment. At the same time, we face considerable knowledge gaps in their mobility, reactivity and bioavailability. The various chemical forms in which these metals are employed further complicate sound predictions on the mobility and bioavailability of these emerging contaminants in the environment. In this contribution, I will summarize the state of the art and challenges in constraining natural background concentrations as well as anthropogenic contaminations and will showcase research on their mobility, reactivity and bioavailability, with a special emphasis on the potential relevance of natural biomolecules (metallophores) for TCE mobilization and a potential rehabilitation. Such ligands are naturally produced by a range of microorganisms, plants and fungi to cope with the scarcity of nutrient metals, but may also actively promote the mobilization of TCE in the environment.

Details

Author
Dennis Kraemer1
Institutionen
1Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Germany
Veranstaltung
GeoSaxonia 2024
Datum
2024
DOI
10.48380/tk0c-k218