Removal of arsenate from water by using an Fe-Ce oxide adsorbent: effects of coexistent fluoride and phosphate

The Langmuir two-site equation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy have been employed to study the competitive behaviors of fluoride (F) and phosphate (P) in relation to arsenate adsorption on an Fe-Ce adsorbent as well as the mechanisms involved. The two-site isotherm revealed the presence of two kinds of adsorption sites with different binding affinities for arsenate. Both the total and low-binding-energy maximum adsorption capacities (Q and Q(1)) of arsenate decreased significantly even at a molar ratio of As/P=1:0.1. The coexistence of F, only influenced the total Q of arsenate at high simultaneous F concentrations. The fact that Fe-Ce released 0.15-0.24 mmol sulfate for every mmol arsenate adsorbed suggested that, while sulfate groups might have played a role for adsorption, surface hydroxyl groups should be the major active sites. The XPS results indicated that arsenate and P are mainly adsorbed through the substitution of Fe surface active sites, while F is mainly adsorbed through substitution of Ce surface active sites. The As k-edge EXAFS data show that the second peak of Fe-Ce after arsenate adsorption is As-Fe shell, which further supported that arsenate adsorption occurs mainly at the Fe surface active sites.