Synthesis, characterization, and property test of crystalline polyferric sulfate adsorbent used in treatment of contaminated water with a high As(Ⅲ) content

A crystalline polyferric sulfate(PFS) adsorbent was synthesized by oxidizing and precipitating ferrous ions in air atmospheric conditions. The morphology, structure, specific surface area(SSA), and adsorptive efficacy of the adsorbent to As(Ⅲ) were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) images, X-ray diffraction(XRD) patterns, Fourier-transform infrared(FTIR) spectra, BET SSA analyses, and adsorption experiments. The adsorbent showed a near-spherical aggregate structure and had good crystallinity. A significant amount of α-goethite co-precipitated with PFS in the case of the initial ferrous concentration of 1 mol/L and increased SSA of the adsorbent. The stability region of ferric compounds in the process was drawn and applied to analyze the iron behavior during the synthesis. The adsorption of As(Ⅲ) in high As(Ⅲ)-containing solutions fitted the Langmuir isotherm model adequately. The absorbent with co-precipitation of α-goethite showed good adsorbability for As(Ⅲ) and good filtering performance in the high As(Ⅲ)-containing solution of 10–100 mg/L under acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions(pH 2.09–9.01). After the adsorption process, the stability of the residues bearing As(Ⅲ) was evaluated by toxic characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP) tests. The results indicated that the residues were extremely stable, and the concentrations of arsenic in the leaching solutions were less than 0.01 mg/L.

Synthesis, in-situ coating and characterization of scorodite with high leaching stability

To improve stability of scorodite,a method of simultaneous synthesis and in-situ coating of scorodite was proposed.Scorodite particles with polyhedral and raspberry-like morphologies were synthesized in an Fe(Ⅱ).As(Ⅴ).H2O system at 90℃and pH 1.5 by blowing oxygen gas into the system.When the initial Fe/As molar ratio exceeded 1:1,a coating of sulfate-containing iron(hydr)oxides formed on the surfaces of scorodite particles during synthesis.To evaluate the leaching stability of synthesized scorodite samples,toxicity characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP)tests were conducted at pH 4.93 for 60 h,and long-term leaching tests were conducted for 30.40 d within a pH range of 5.40.10.88.The leaching results indicated that the release of arsenic from scorodite was noticeably postponed by the coating,and the average arsenic concentrations in the leaching solutions were as low as 0.12 mg/L in the TCLP tests and lower than 0.5 mg/L in the long-term leaching tests.

Co-oxidation of arsenic(Ⅲ) and iron(Ⅱ) ions by pressurized oxygen in acidic solutions

The co-oxidation of As(Ⅲ) and Fe(Ⅱ) in acidic solutions by pressured oxygen was studied under an oxygen pressure between 0.5 and 2.0 MPa at a temperature of 150℃. It was confirmed that without Fe(Ⅱ) ions, As(Ⅲ) ions in the solutions are virtually non-oxidizable by pressured oxygen even at a temperature as high as 200℃ and an oxygen pressure up to 2.0 MPa. Fe(Ⅱ) ions in the solutions did have a catalysis effect on the oxidation of As(Ⅲ), possibly attributable to the production of such strong oxidants as hydroxyl free radicals (OH ) and Fe(Ⅳ) in the oxidation process of Fe(Ⅱ). The effects of such factors as the initial molar ratio of Fe(Ⅱ)/As(Ⅲ), initial pH value of the solution, oxygen pressure, and the addition of radical scavengers on the oxidation efficiencies of As(Ⅲ) and Fe(Ⅱ) were studied. It was found that the oxidation of As(Ⅲ) was limited in the co-oxidation process due to the accumulation of the As(Ⅲ) oxidation product, As(Ⅴ), in the solutions.