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Removal of arsenic from water streams: an overview of available techniques

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy volume 10, pages 89–95 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Arsenic poisoning has become one of the major environmental worries worldwide, as millions of people, which have been exposed to high arsenic concentrations (through contaminated drinking water), developed severe health problems. The high toxicity of this element made necessary the enforcement of stringent maximum allowable limits in drinking water. So, the development of novel techniques for its removal from aqueous streams is a very important issue. This paper offers an overview of geochemistry, distribution, sources, toxicity, regulations and applications of selected techniques for arsenic removal. The contribution briefly summarizes adsorption processes and mechanism of arsenic species removal from water streams by means of iron oxide/oxyhydroxide based materials. Sorption capacities of various sorbents (e.g. akaganeite, goethite, hydrous ferric oxide, iron oxide coated sand, Fe(III) loaded resin, granular ferric hydroxide, Ce(IV) doped iron oxide, natural iron ores, iron oxide coated cement, magnetically modified zeolite, Fe-hydroxide coated alumina) have been compared.

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Acknowledgment

The financial support of Science and Technology Assistance Agency (contract No. APVT-51–017104) and NATO (Collaborative Linkage Grant EST.EAP.CLG 981103) is greatly acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geotechnics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 45, 043 53, Kosice, Slovakia

    Miroslava Vaclavikova, Slavomir Hredzak & Stefan Jakabsky

  2. Lab. Gen. and Inorg. Chemical Technology, School of Chemistry, Aristotle University, 540 06, Thessaloniki, Greece

    George P. Gallios

Authors
  1. Miroslava Vaclavikova
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  2. George P. Gallios
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  3. Slavomir Hredzak
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  4. Stefan Jakabsky
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Correspondence to Miroslava Vaclavikova.

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Vaclavikova, M., Gallios, G.P., Hredzak, S. et al. Removal of arsenic from water streams: an overview of available techniques. Clean Techn Environ Policy 10, 89–95 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-007-0098-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-007-0098-3

Keywords

  • Arsenic
  • Characterization and distribution
  • Toxicity
  • Iron oxides
  • Iron oxyhydroxide
  • Akaganeite
  • Nanoparticles
  • Adsorption
  • Wastewater treatment