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Adsorption and Microscopic Analysis of Arsenate Uptake by Magnetic Fe Nanoparticles: a Detailed Study on Coexisting Anions Effects

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Abstract

Magnetic Fe nanoparticles have the potential to treat As(V)-contaminated water. However, the effects of coexisting anions on the As(V) adsorption mechanism need further investigation. The batch adsorption experimental results obtained at pH 5 and room temperature were well represented by the mixed-order kinetic, and the sips isotherm models, indicating that surface adsorption dominated As(V) removal via chemical process onto a heterogeneous surface. The surface adsorption rate of As(V) was reduced in the single-anion systems, and this resulted in a decrease in the maximum sorption density (qm) of magnetic Fe nanoparticles for As(V) (74.9 mg/g) in the following order: H2PO4− (31.3 mg/g) > H4SiO4 (47.0 mg/g) > HCO3− (50.9 mg/g) > SO42− (54.9 mg/g) > Cl− (65.5 mg/g). The presence of Ca2+ in the multiple-anion system reduced the interference of coexisting anions (qm = 60.2 mg/g), possibly due to the formation of multiple Fe–As–Ca–As complexes. The results obtained from the electrophoretic mobility, FT-IR, and XPS indicated that the effects of coexisting anions on the adsorption mechanism of As(V) were driven by competitive surface complexation and redox reaction. The redox transformation of As(V) to As(III) was large in the single-anion system containing HCO3− (44.8%), SO42− (44.1%), and H4SiO4 (41.5%) because competing anions may form stable complexes with ≡Fe3+ site of magnetite, thereby enhancing the reduction of As(V) to As(III) on ≡Fe2+ site of magnetite. These findings expand the insight of As(V) uptake by magnetic Fe nanoparticles and help in predicting its performance in actual wastewater.

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Data Availability

The datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are included within the article and in the additional files submitted.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported partially by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. Part of this work was performed within the activities of the Research Project 20P07 of the Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University. This work was also supported by the Research Institute of the Sustainable Future Society and Research Organization for Open Innovation Strategy, Waseda University. We thank Kagami Memorial Research Institute for Materials Science and Technology, Waseda University, for the solid analysis. We thank Mauricio Córdova-Udaeta, Ph.D., from Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering for editing a draft of this manuscript. We thank Ian McNaught, PhD, from Edanz (https://jp.edanz.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.

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  1. Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan

    Yusuf O. Zubair

  2. Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 108-8477, Japan

    Shigeshi Fuchida

  3. Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan

    Chiharu Tokoro

  4. Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    Chiharu Tokoro

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Yusuf O. Zubair: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, writing—original draft. Shigeshi Fuchida: conceptualization, writing—review and editing. Chiharu Tokoro: supervision, writing—review and editing.

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Zubair, Y.O., Fuchida, S. & Tokoro, C. Adsorption and Microscopic Analysis of Arsenate Uptake by Magnetic Fe Nanoparticles: a Detailed Study on Coexisting Anions Effects. Water Air Soil Pollut 233, 484 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05949-3

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