Adsorption of arsenite and arsenate onto ferrihydrite under competitive conditions : kinetics, isotherm, and pH effect

Abstract:

Competitive adsorption of As(III) and As(V) onto ferrihydrite was investigated in both single and bi-component systems using batch experiments. The adsorption of As(III) was inhibited by the presence of As(V) over the whole pH range when compared to As(III) only conditions. As(V) was adsorbed to a similar extent with As(III) at low pH under competitive conditions. Isotherm studies also showed that As(V) significantly decreased the adsorption of As(III) at pH 5, while the presence of As(III) had a small effect on As(V) adsorption. The Freundlich isotherm equation was successfully fitted to both single and bi-component adsorption scenarios of As(III) and As(V). At the same time intervals in the first 2 h under competitive conditions, kinetics studies suggested that the amount of As(III) adsorbed in the presence of As(V) was reduced compared to the single component system at low pH. The effect of As(III) on the adsorption rate of As(V) was negligible. A pseudo-second-order model could be fitted perfectly to each species under both single and competitive conditions. The spectra of ferrihydrite with adsorbed As(III), As(V) or both As species have a similar shape by ATR-FTIR, indicating that competition may be at play.