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Antimony Removal from Aqueous Solutions by the Use of Zn-Al Sulphate Layered Double Hydroxide

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Abstract

This study tested the efficacy of Zn-Al sulphate layered double hydroxides (LDH) as sorbent to remove antimony from circum-neutral solutions. Results of experimentation showed that Sb(V) in the anionic form Sb(OH)6 − can be efficiently removed from aqueous solutions through an exchange process with the SO4 2− present in the interlayer; total removal can be achieved within 6–24 h for A ≥2, where A is the ratio of the maximum theoretical anion exchange capacity (AEC) to the initial Sb concentration, both expressed in milliequivalents per liter. The complex rearrangement of the LDH structure to host Sb(OH)6 − in the interlayer is correlated to an initial fast removal of the contaminant, followed by a progressive slowing down of the exchange process. The overall speed of the process is again a direct function of A; in practice, the sorbent dose should be carefully evaluated to balance cost/efficacy/timing of the water treatment. Comparison with previous studies documenting Zn-Al sulphate LDH efficacy as arsenate and molybdate sorbent indicates a comparable affinity for As(V) and Sb(V), higher than for Mo(VI). The results of this study reinforce the possible key role of Zn-Al sulphate LDHs in water treatment for pH ranging from circum-neutral to moderately alkaline, thanks to their capability to rearrange the original structure in order to host different-sized/charged anions.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR; PRIN 2010–2011 grant to P. Lattanzi) and by the Consorzio AUSI (Consorzio per la Promozione delle Attività Universitarie del Sulcis-Iglesiente, grant to F. Frau). We are extremely grateful to Elisabetta Dore for her assistance in the collection of experimental data. Additional laboratory support was provided by Ilenia Pusceddu for her undergraduate thesis work (Tesi di Laurea magistrale in Scienze della Natura, Università di Cagliari, 2014). We thank Francesco Di Benedetto for assistance with data fitting calculations.

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  1. Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Trentino 51, 09127, Cagliari, Italy

    Carla Ardau, Franco Frau & Pierfranco Lattanzi

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  1. Carla Ardau
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  2. Franco Frau
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Correspondence to Carla Ardau.

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Ardau, C., Frau, F. & Lattanzi, P. Antimony Removal from Aqueous Solutions by the Use of Zn-Al Sulphate Layered Double Hydroxide. Water Air Soil Pollut 227, 344 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-3048-z

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