Removal of arsenic (V) from aqueous solutions using chemically modified sawdust of spruce (Picea abies): Kinetics and isotherm studies

Abstract

Arsenic is a ubiquitous element in the environment and occurs naturally in both organic and inorganic forms. Under aerobic condition, the dominant form of arsenic in waters is arsenate, which is highly mobile and toxic. Arsenic poisoning from drinking water remains a serious world health issue. There are various standard methods for arsenic removal from drinking waters (coagulation, sorption, ion-exchange reactions or methods of reverse osmosis) and alternative methods, such as biosorption. Biosorption of arsenic from natural and model waters by native or chemically modified (with urea or ferric oxyhydroxides) plant biomass prepared from sawdust of Picea abies was studied. The kinetic of the adsorption process fitted well the pseudo second order adsorption model and equilibrium was achieved after 2 h. The results showed that biosorption was well described by both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The maximum biosorption capacity of the sawdust modified with ferric oxyhydroxides, evaluated by Langmuir adsorption model, was 9.259 mg/g, while the biosorption capacity of unmodified biosorbent or biosorbent modified with urea was negligible. The adsorption capacity is comparable to results published by other authors, suggesting that the prepared chemically modified biosorbent has potential in remediation of contaminated waters.