Water Science and Technology (Jun 2021)
Enhanced As(III) sequestration using nanoscale zero-valent iron modified by combination of loading and sulfidation: characterizations, performance, kinetics and mechanism
Abstract
Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and sulfides have been confirmed to be effective in arsenic sequestration from aqueous solution. In this study, attapulgite supported and sulfide-modified nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI@ATP) are synthesized to realize the superposition effect of enhanced arsenic sequestration. The results indicated that nZVI clusters were well disaggregated and the BET specific surface area increased from 19.61 m2·g−1 to 46.04 m2·g−1 of S-nZVI@ATP, resulting in an enhanced removal efficiency of arsenic from 51.4% to 65.1% at 20 min. The sulfides in S-nZVI@ATP mainly exist as mackinawite (FeS) and this causes the spherical nanoparticles to exhibit a larger average particle size (94.6 nm) compared to bare nZVI (66.0 nm). In addition, S-nZVI@ATP exhibited a prominent ability for arsenic sequestration over a wide pH range of 3.0–6.0. The presence of anions SO42− and Cl− can enhance the arsenic removal whereas HCO3− inhibited it. The arsenic adsorption by S-nZVI@ATP could be explained by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir model, with the maximum adsorption capacity of 193.8 mg·g−1. The mechanism of As(III) sequestration by S-nZVI@ATP involved multiple processes, mainly including precipitation conversion from FeS to As2S3, surface-complexation adsorption and co-precipitation. HIGHLIGHTS S-nZVI@ATP was synthesized to superimpose the performance of nZVI and sulfides on arsenic removal.; The distribution of sulfides in S-nZVI@ATP and its role for As(III) removal were investigated.; S-nZVI@ATP showed an enlarged specific surface area and an enhanced arsenic removal efficiency.; The maximum adsorption capacity for arsenic was 193.8 mg·g−1.; The mechanism involved the combined action of Fe(0) core and sulfide shell.;
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