Competitive Adsorption of Arsenate and Arsenite on Oxides and Clay Minerals

Abstract

Arsenic adsorption on amorphous Al and Fe oxides and the clay minerals, kaolinite, montmorillonite, and illite was investigated as a function of solution pH and As redox state, i.e., arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)]. Arsenic adsorption experiments were carried out in batch systems to determine adsorption envelopes, amount of As(III), As(V), or both adsorbed as a function of solution pH per fixed total As concentration of 20 μM As. Arsenate adsorption on oxides and clays was maximal at low pH and decreased with increasing pH above pH 9 for Al oxide, pH 7 for Fe oxide and pH 5 for clays. Arsenite adsorption exhibited parabolic behavior with an adsorption maximum around pH 8.5 for all materials. There was no competitive effect of the presence of equimolar arsenite on arsenate adsorption. The competitive effect of equimolar arsenate on arsenite adsorption was small and apparent only on kaolinite and illite in the pH range 6.5 to 9. The constant capacitance model was able to fit the arsenate and arsenite adsorption envelopes to obtain values of the intrinsic As surface complexation constants. These intrinsic surface complexation constants were then used in the model to predict competitive arsenate and arsenite adsorption from solutions containing equimolar As(III) and As(V) concentrations. The constant capacitance model was able to predict As adsorption from mixed As(III)-As(V) solutions in systems where there was no competitive effect.