Enhanced arsenite removal by using Zn/Al + Fe mixed oxides obtained from layered double hydroxides

L.A. MAY-IX; F. TZOMPANTZI; R. GÓMEZ; J.M. MEICHTRY; E.B. HALAC; M.I. LITTER

Encuentro; 9th European meeting on Solar Chemistry and Photocatalysis: Environmental Applications (SPEA),; 2016

Arsenic exists ubiquitously in the environment and has been proved to be of great harm to human health. In this study, a series of ZnAlFe layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were synthetized by the coprecipitation method using an initial weight composition Zn2+ = 75%, Fe3+ = 10%, Al3+ = 15%, with or without the addition of citric or oxalic acid at pH 9. The solids were calcined at 400 °C, resulting mixed oxides with specific surface areas from 61.9 to 94.8 m2/g, which showed absorption in the visible range. These materials have been tested in adsorption and photocatalytic experiments of arsenite. The best removal (99.9%) was obtained using the ZnAlFe mixed oxide prepared in the absence of organic acids, which makes this material potentially attractive for arsenite removal.