Geochemical processes underlying a sharp contrast in groundwater arsenic concentrations in a village on the Red River delta, Vietnam

The spatial variability of As concentrations in aquifers of the Red River Delta, Vietnam, was studied in the vicinity of Hanoi. Two sites, only 700 m apart but with very different As concentrations in groundwater (site L: <10 lg/L vs. site H: 170–600 lg/L) in the 20–50 m depth range, were characterized with respect to sediment geochemistry and mineralogy as well as hydrochemistry. Sequential extractions of the sediment were carried out in order to understand why As is released to groundwater at one site and not the other. No major differences were observed in the bulk mineralogy and geochemistry of the sediment, with the exception of the redox state of Fe oxyhydroxides inferred from sediment colour and diffuse spectral reflectance. At site H most of the As in the sediment was adsorbed to grey sands of mixed Fe(II/III) valence whereas at site L As was more strongly bound to orange-brown Fe(III) oxides. Higher dissolved Fe and low dissolved S concentrations in groundwater at site H ( 14 mg Fe/L, <0.3 mg S/L) suggest more strongly reducing conditions compared to site L (1–2 mg Fe/L, <3.8 mg S/L). High concentrations of NH4 ( 10 mg/L), HCO 3 (500 mg/L) and dissolved P (600 mg/L), in addition to elevated As at site H are consistent with a release coupled to microbially induced reductive dissolution of Fe oxyhydroxides. Other processes such as precipitation of siderite and vivianite, which are strongly supersaturated at site H, or the formation of amorphous Fe(II)/As(III) phases and Fe sulfides, may also influence the partitioning of As between groundwater and aquifer