Photoreductive Dissolution of Iron (Hydr)oxides and Its Geochemical Significance

Iron (hydr)oxides are the most abundant metal oxides, which are widespread on Earth’s surface in the major form of micro/nanoparticles. Dissolution of iron (hydr)oxides significantly controls their compositions on Earth’s surface and is a critical step for the global Fe cycling. Photoreductive dissolution of iron (hydr)oxides is recognized as one of the most important process for generating Fe2+ in surface water and is also a common pathway for transforming solar energy into chemical energy. This review article dissects the main characteristics of photoreductive dissolution of iron (hydr)oxides and discusses its geochemical and environmental significance. We categorize the mechanisms for photoreduction of iron (hydr)oxides into three types: reduction by intrinsic photogenerated electrons, reduction by ligand to metal electron transfer (LMCT), and reduction by direct injection of exogenous photoelectrons. The efficiency of photoreductive dissolution is constrained by both the structure of iron (hydr)oxides (e.g., crystal structure and particle size) and environmental conditions (e.g., light, pH, and concurrent chemicals). Therefore, different iron (hydr)oxides may exhibit quite distinctive photoreductive dissolution characteristics because of their unique crystal structures and physicochemical properties. Iron (hydr)oxides with low crystallinity (e.g., ferrihydrite, lepidocrocite) are subject to direct photoreductive dissolution, while those with high crystallinity (e.g., goethite, hematite) generally need ligands to proceed with photoreductive dissolution. The photoreductive dissolution of iron (hydr)oxides is involved in many important geochemical and environmental processes, such as the Fe availability to primary producers, the generation of reactive oxygen species, the transportation and fate of contaminants, and the phase transformation of iron (hydr)oxides. Given the ubiquitous occurrence of photoreductive dissolution of iron (hydr)oxides, this review will advance our understanding of the role of this process in Earth’s surface environments.