Management of highly toxic arsenic (As3+ and As5+) in water using sodium titanate nanotubes: Integrated kinetic and isothermal studies

Abstract

The toxicity of arsenic to humans is confirmed and numerous studies have been investigated its removal from water. Sodium titanates nanotubes (NaTNTs) with different tube lengths (50– 80 nm) and a mean radius of 2.685 nm have been developed by the conventional hydrothermal route. The characterization of the synthesized nanotubes was done using multiple techniques namely FTIR, HRTEM, XRD, and FESEM. The synthesized material was tested for As³⁺ and As⁵⁺ removal. The impact of solution (heavy metals) pH, reaction time and heavy metals initial concentrations on the removal percentage have been explored. The results confirmed the successful management of both of As⁵⁺ and As³⁺ arsenic ions in water with attained efficiencies of 99 % and 98 %, respectively. Hence, the synthesized nanomaterials can be efficiently applied to manage toxic arsenic in drinking water and groundwater.