Preparation and evaluation of Zr-β-FeOOH for efficient arsenic removal

A Zr-β-FeOOH adsorbent for both As(V) and As(III) removal was prepared by a chemical co-precipitation method.Compared with β-FeOOH,the addition of Zr enhanced the adsorption capacities for As(V) and As(III),especially As(III).The maximum adsorption capacities for As(III) and As(V) were 120 and 60mg/g respectively at pH 7.0,much higher than for many reported adsorbents.The adsorption data accorded with Freundlich isotherms.At neutral pH,for As(V),adsorption equilibrium was approached after 3 hr,while for As(III),adsorption equilibrium was approached after 5 hr.Kinetic data fitted well to the pseudo second-order reaction model.As(V) elimination was favored at acidic pH,whereas the adsorption of As(III) by Zr-β-FeOOH was found to be effective over a wide pH range of 4-10.Competitive anions hindered the adsorption according to the sequence:phosphate > silicate > bicarbonate > sulfate > nitrate,while Ca2+ and Mg2+ increased the removal of As(III) and As(V) slightly.The high adsorption capability and good performance in other aspects make Zr-β-FeOOH a potentially attractive adsorbent for the removal of both As(III) and As(V) from water.