Intrinsic properties of cupric oxide nanoparticles enable effective filtration of arsenic from water.

Kyle J Mcdonald,Brandon Reynolds,K J Reddy

doi:10.1038/srep11110

Kyle J Mcdonald, Brandon Reynolds + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep11110

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Journal: Scientific Reports	Publication Date: Jun 5, 2015
Citations: 46	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Wyoming

Abstract

The contamination of arsenic in human drinking water supplies is a serious global health concern. Despite multiple years of research, sustainable arsenic treatment technologies have yet to be developed. This study demonstrates the intrinsic abilities of cupric oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NP) towards arsenic adsorption and the development of a point-of-use filter for field application. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments were used to examine adsorption, desorption, and readsorption of aqueous arsenite and arsenate by CuO-NP. Field experiments were conducted with a point-of-use filter, coupled with real-time arsenic monitoring, to remove arsenic from domestic groundwater samples. The CuO-NP were regenerated by desorbing arsenate via increasing pH above the zero point of charge. Results suggest an effective oxidation of arsenite to arsenate on the surface of CuO-NP. Naturally occurring arsenic was effectively removed by both as-prepared and regenerated CuO-NP in a field demonstration of the point-of-use filter. A sustainable arsenic mitigation model for contaminated water is proposed.

Highlights

Remove aqueous arsenic species under a wide range of geochemical conditions[12,14,27,29,30,31,32,33]
X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of CuO-NP as-prepared and following regeneration after the sorption of either As(III) and As(V) show very similar peak patterns suggesting that the crystalline structures of CuO-NP do not change following the adsorption and desorption of arsenic
Similar to the results reported by Reddy et al.[46], an initial decrease in arsenic concentrations is seen by the sand column alone

Summary

Introduction

Remove aqueous arsenic species under a wide range of geochemical conditions[12,14,27,29,30,31,32,33]. Following the initial treatment of arsenic laden water, the CuO-NP were regenerated in the lab and the field (See Methods). Initial laboratory experiments with the point-of-use filter were conducted using a naturally arsenic-free groundwater sample spiked with As(III) (arsenite) and As(V) (arsenate) to evaluate its performance.

Results

Conclusion