Enhanced Arsenate Removal Performance in Aqueous Solution by Yttrium-Based Adsorbents

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Sang-Ho Lee¹  Kyoung-Woong Kim¹  Byung-Tae Lee¹  Sunbaek Bang³  Hyunseok Kim²  Hyorang Kang²  Am Jang⁵  Ravi Naidu⁴ 

[1] School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 123, Cheomdangwagi-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61005, Korea; E-Mails:;Energy Lab, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, 130 Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16678, Korea; E-Mails:;Mine Reclamation Corporation, 2, Segye-ro, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do 26464, Korea; E-Mail:School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 123, Cheomdangwagi-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61005, Korea;;School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16419, Korea; E-Mail:

关键词: adsorption;    arsenate removal;    basic yttrium carbonate (BYC);    surface modification;    specific surface area;    maximum adsorption capacity;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph121013523

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Arsenic contamination in drinking water has become an increasingly important issue due to its high toxicity to humans. The present study focuses on the development of the yttrium-based adsorbents, with basic yttrium carbonate (BYC), Ti-loaded basic yttrium carbonate (Ti-loaded BYC) and yttrium hydroxide prepared using a co-precipitation method. The Langmuir isotherm results confirmed the maximum adsorption capacity of Ti-loaded BYC (348.5 mg/g) was 25% higher than either BYC (289.6 mg/g) or yttrium hydroxide (206.5 mg/g) due to its increased specific surface area (82 m²/g) and surface charge (PZC: 8.4). Pseudo first- and second-order kinetic models further confirmed that the arsenate removal rate of Ti-loaded BYC was faster than for BYC and yttrium hydroxide. It was subsequently posited that the dominant removal mechanism of BYC and Ti-loaded BYC was the carbonate-arsenate ion exchange process, whereas yttrium hydroxide was regarded to be a co-precipitation process. The Ti-loaded BYC also displayed the highest adsorption affinity for a wide pH range (3–11) and in the presence of coexisting anionic species such as phosphate, silicate, and bicarbonate. Therefore, it is expected that Ti-loaded BYC can be used as an effective and practical adsorbent for arsenate remediation in drinking water.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.