Adsorptive removal of arsenic from aqueous solutions by iron oxide coated natural materials

© 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London.Arsenic contamination in water sources is a global problem. Adsorptive filtration is considered as an alternative emerging technology for arsenic treatment without any side effects or treatment process alterations. In this study, iron-oxide coated sand material was used to remove arsenic ions from aqueous solutions. Effect of pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, initial arsenic concentration, and particle size which are important parameters for adsorption were investigated. Adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies were studied in order to evaluate adsorption capacity and rate. Results showed that 5 g/L iron-oxide coated sand could treat the solution consisting 100 μg/L arsenic below the Turkish standard of 10 μg/L. Isotherm data were fitted into both the Freundlich and the Langmuir isotherms. Batch studies showed that iron-oxide coated sand can be effectively used for arsenic removal due to its availability, cost-effectiveness and high performance