Cadmium Isotope Fractionation during Adsorption and Substitution with Iron (Oxyhydr)oxides

Cadmium (Cd) isotopes have great potential for understanding Cd geochemical cycling in soil and aquatic systems. Iron (oxyhydr)oxides can sequester Cd via adsorption and isomorphous substitution, but how these interactions affect Cd isotope fractionation remains unknown. Here, we show that adsorption preferentially enriches lighter Cd isotopes on iron (oxyhydr)oxide surfaces through equilibrium fractionation, with a similar fractionation magnitude (Delta Cd-114/110(solid-solution)) for goethite (Goe) (-0.51 +/- 0.04%), hematite (Hem) (-0.54 +/- 0.10 parts per thousand), and ferrihydrite (Fh) (-0.55 +/- 0.03 parts per thousand). Neither the initial Cd2+ concentration or ionic strength nor the pH influence the fractionation magnitude. The enrichment of the light isotope is attributed to the adsorption of highly distorted [CdO6] on solids, as indicated by Cd K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis. In contrast, Cd incorporation into Goe by substitution for lattice Fe at a Cd/Fe molar ratio of 0.05 preferentially sequesters heavy Cd isotopes, with a Delta Cd-114/110(solid-solution) of 0.22 +/- 0.01 parts per thousand. The fractionation probably occurs during the transformation of Fh into Goe via dissolution and reprecipitation. These results improve the understanding of the Cd isotope fractionation behavior being affected by iron (oxyhydr)oxides in Earth's critical zone and demonstrate that interactions with minerals can obscure anthropogenic and natural Cd isotope characteristics, which should be carefully considered when applying Cd isotopes as environmental tracers.

Automated summary

Cadmium isotopes can be sequestered by iron (oxyhydr)oxides through adsorption and isomorphous substitution, with lighter isotopes preferentially enriched on oxide surfaces. The fractionation is affected by the distortion of CdO6 during adsorption and the transformation of minerals. Interactions with minerals can obscure both anthropogenic and natural Cd isotope characteristics, impacting the use of Cd isotopes as environmental tracers.