Kinetics of arsenate adsorption-desorption in soils

Adsorption-desorption of arsenic is the primary factor that impacts the bioavailability and mobility of arsenic in soils. To examine the characteristics of arsenate [As(V)] adsorption-desorption, kinetic batch experiments were carried out on three soils having different properties, followed by arsenic release using successive dilutions. Adsorption of As(V) was highly nonlinear, with a Freundlich reaction order N much less than 1 for Olivier loam, Sharkey clay, and Windsor sand. Adsorption of arsenate by all soils was strongly kinetic, where the rate of As(V) retention was rapid initially and was followed by gradual or somewhat slow retention behavior with increasing reaction time. Freundlich distribution coefficients and Langmuir adsorption maxima exhibited continued increase with reaction time for all soils. Desorption of As(V) was hysteretic in nature and is an indication of lack of equilibrium retention and/or irreversible or slowly reversible processes. A sequential extraction procedure provided evidence that a significant amount of As(V) was irreversibly adsorbed on all soils. A multireaction model (MRM) with nonlinear equilibrium and kinetic sorption successfully described the adsorption kinetics of As(V) for Olivier loam and Windsor sand. The model was also capable of predicting As(V) desorption kinetics for both soils. However, for Sharkey clay, which exhibited strongest affinity for arsenic, an additional irreversible reaction phase was required to predict As(V) desorption or release with time.