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Removal of arsenic and iron from mine-tailing leachate using chitosan hydrogels synthesized by gamma radiation

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Abstract

Mine residue and leachate were sampled from an acid mine drainage site near Arroyo San Pedro, which is one of the oldest abandoned mine districts in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and characterized by X-ray diffraction and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, confirming the presence of Fe, As, and SO4 2−. To address this problem, chitosan network (net-CS) and chitosan network-N-vinylcaprolactam/N–N-dimethylacrylamide (net-CS)-g-NVCL/DMAAm hydrogels were synthesized and used as adsorbents of the different ions present in the aforementioned leachate by batch equilibrium procedure. Kinetics, isotherms, and ions dissolved in leachate were evaluated. The gels showed the highest adsorption capacity for As and Fe ions. The adsorption capacity of the net-CS hydrogels for As (V) and Fe(III) was 0.786 and 76.85 mg/g, respectively, attained after 50 h. The surface of the hydrogels was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, before and after the adsorption process, where the presence of a bond between the hydrogels and heavy metals ions, which is commonly observed in organic groups, was observed. In addition, Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms constants were determined for the As and Fe ions, and it was found that the Freundlich isotherm, with a first-order pseudo model, better fitted the adsorption process, indicating heterogeneous sorption, and the retention process occurred by chemisorption. The results from the Geochemist´s Workbench (GWB) software program revealed that arsenates, such as H3AsO4, H2AsO4 −, as well as Fe++, FeSO4(aq) and FeOH+ were the common aqueous species found in the leachate at pH = 2.9.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank to the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología-Fondo Institucional de Fomento Regional para el desarrollo científico, tecnológico y de innovación. (CONACYT-Fordecyt) project 190966 for its financial support, as well as M. Martinez and R. Tovar from the Institute of Metallurgy UASLP and H. Davila from (Chemistry), S. Mendoza (Environmental), E. Espinoza, M. E. Garcia (Geology) and I. Montes (Engineering) Faculty at UASLP for their technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava No. 8, Zona Universitaria, 78290, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., Mexico

    Juan Carlos Burillo & Javier Castro-Larragoitia

  2. Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Avenida Universidad 3400 Del. Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Guillermina Burillo & Alejandra Ortega

  3. Facultad de Ingeniería, Centro de Investigación y Estudios de Posgrado, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosi, Av. Salvador Nava No. 8, Zona Universitaria, 78290, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., Mexico

    Nahum Medellin-Castillo

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  1. Juan Carlos Burillo
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  2. Javier Castro-Larragoitia
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  3. Guillermina Burillo
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  4. Alejandra Ortega
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  5. Nahum Medellin-Castillo
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Correspondence to Juan Carlos Burillo.

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Burillo, J.C., Castro-Larragoitia, J., Burillo, G. et al. Removal of arsenic and iron from mine-tailing leachate using chitosan hydrogels synthesized by gamma radiation. Environ Earth Sci 76, 450 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6780-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6780-9

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