Study of arsenic(V) adsorption on bone char from aqueous solution

Arsenic is a toxic element and may be found in natural waters as well as in industrial waters. Leaching of arsenic from industrial wastewater into groundwater may cause significant contamination, which requires proper treatment before its use as drinking water. The present study described the removal of As(V) on bone char in batch studies conducted as a function of pH, dosage of adsorbent, and contact time. Kinetics revealed that uptake of As(V) ion by bone char was very rapid in the first 30 min and equilibrium time was independent of initial As(V) concentration. And the adsorption process followed a first-order kinetics equation. The arsenic removal was strongly dependent on pH and dosage of adsorbent. Fourier transform infrared spectra of bone char before and after As(V) adsorption demonstrated that Ca-OH functional group plays an important role for As(V) ions removal, and the mechanisms of the removal of As(V) on bone char was complex mechanism where both co-precipitation and ion exchange. The results suggested that bone char can be used effectively for the removal of As(V) ion from aqueous solution. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.