Arsenic and fluoride adsorption from multielement solutions onto aluminium modified montmorillonite

MARCO-BROWN, JOSE L.; MELOTTA, MARIÁNGELES; FERNÁNDEZ, MARIELA; IRIEL, ANALIA

Groundwater for Sustainable Development

Elsevier

Año: 2024 vol. 26

2352-801X

Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water worldwide. However, it might be harmful to consumer’s health due to the presence of trace elements, such as arsenic and fluoride, commonly found in Latin American. The main objective of this study was to investigate the adsorption parameters of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) dissolved in multielemental solutions containing vanadium (V) and boron (B), on aluminium-modified montmorillonite. To achieve that, a new adsorbent was synthesised and characterised using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm techniques. Adsorption efficiencies for As and F were evaluated in multielement solutions considering the simultaneous occurrence of B and V, naturally present in groundwater. Kinetic and equilibrium adsorption experiments were carried out in batch conditions for both, mono and multicomponent solutions. The adsorbent characterization indicated an effective incorporation of Aluminium (Al) into thealuminosilicate layers and at the external surface of the montmorillonite. The adsorption process for multielementsolutions took a short time and the As adsorption was not affected by the presence of V, B, or F in thesolution while F adsorption parameters were enhanced by the co-occurrence of the other species in the solution.The maximum adsorption capacities were 21 and 68 mg g􀀀 1 for As and F, respectively, in the presence of B and V,