[Ethanol-induced influence on the structure and arsenate adsorption of resin-based nano-hydrated ferric oxide]

Here the role of ethanol in the synthesis of a new nanocomposite (D201-HFO) was evaluated in terms of its structure variation and arsenate adsorption. Results indicated that the ethanol-induced procedure improved the dispersion of HFO inside the polymer host D201 and increased the HFO sorption capacities towards arsenate by 20%. Also, the ethanol-induced procedure resulted in the increase of pore size, pore volume, and specific surface area of D201-HFO by 52%, 65% and 28%, respectively. Nevertheless, ethanol rinsing did not affect the mechanical strength of D201-HFO and the crystal type of the immobilized HFO. Little effects of the ethanol process was observed on the pH and co-anion dependent adsorption of arsenate. Furthermore, the ethanol step posed insignificant influence on the fix-bed adsorption and the repeated use of the adsorbent. The results showed that the ethanol procedure exerted little influence on the sorption properties of D201-HFO from the viewpoint of practical application and thus, it could not be included.