Removal of arsenic from water by silver nanoparticles and Fe-Ce mixed oxide supported on polymeric anion exchanger

By encapsulating nanoscale particles of goethite (α-FeO(OH)), hydrous ceric oxide (CeO₂·H₂O, HCO) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the pores of polystyrene anion exchanger D201, a novel nanocomposite FeO(OH)-HCO-Ag-D201 was prepared for the effective removal of arsenic from water. The isotherm study shows that FeO(OH)-HCO-Ag-D201 has excellent adsorption performance for As(III) and As(V), with an increased adsorption capacity of As(III) to 40.12 mg/g compared to that of 22.03 mg/g by the composite adsorbent without AgNPs (FeO(OH)-HCO-D201). The adsorption kinetics data showed that the sorption rate of FeO(OH)-HCO-Ag-D201 for As(III) is less than that for As(V), and the adsorption of As(III) and As(V) were consistent with the pseudo-second-order model and the pseudo-first-order model, respectively. Neutral or basic conditions are favored for the adsorption of As(III/V) by FeO(OH)-HCO-Ag-D201. Compared with nitrate/chloride/bicarbonate, sulfate/silicate/phosphate showed more remarkable inhibition of arsenic removal by FeO(OH)-HCO-Ag-D201, whereas natural organic matter showed no interference to the arsenic removal. The As(V) adsorption involved different interactions such as electrostatic attraction and surface complexation, while the adsorption of As(III) involved the part oxidization of As(III) to As(V) and the simultaneous adsorption of As(III) and As(V). In addition to the Ce(IV) in CeO₂·H₂O acted as an oxidant, the synergistic effect of α-FeO(OH) and AgNPs also contributed to the oxidization of As(III) to As(V). Moreover, the reusable property suggested that this FeO(OH)-HCO-Ag-D201 nanocomposite has great potential for arsenic-contaminated water purification.