As(III) removal using an iron-impregnated chitosan sorbent

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Water Treatment

Background:

• Arsenic contamination in water poses significant health risks.
• Existing arsenic removal technologies often struggle with As(III) (arsenous acid).
• Development of efficient adsorbents for As(III) is crucial for water purification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an iron-impregnated chitosan granular adsorbent for As(III) removal.
• To investigate the adsorption behavior and capacity of the novel adsorbent for As(III).
• To assess the performance of the adsorbent in column studies for practical water treatment applications.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of iron-impregnated chitosan granular adsorbent.
• Batch adsorption experiments to determine adsorption capacity and isotherm.
• Column studies to evaluate performance under dynamic flow conditions.
• Analysis of adsorption data using the Freundlich model.

Main Results:

• Maximum adsorption capacity of 6.48 mg g(-1) for As(III) was achieved at pH 8.
• Adsorption isotherm data fitted well with the Freundlich model.
• Column experiments treated 768 empty bed volumes (EBV) of As(III) solution (308 microg L(-1)), exceeding previous iron-chitosan composite results.

Conclusions:

• Iron-impregnated chitosan is a highly effective and promising adsorbent for As(III) removal from water.
• The developed material shows superior performance compared to existing iron-chitosan composites.
• This adsorbent offers a viable solution for arsenic remediation in water treatment.