Abstract
This study has investigated the selective immobilization of antimony using the brucite (magnesium hydroxide)-rich precipitate (BP) collected from a hypochlorous storage tank in a nuclear power plant of South Korea. The energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the BP mainly consisted of magnesium (72.5%) and its dominant mineral phase was brucite (Mg(OH)2). Therefore, brandholzite (Mg[Sb(OH)6]2·6H2O) was newly formed through the surface-induced precipitation during the adsorption of antimony using the BP. The adsorbed amount of antimony increased with decreasing pH values because of the increased positive surface charge of the BP (pHpzc = 9.6). The maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) of BP, calculated by Langmuir adsorption isotherm, was 11.02 mg/g. The presence of competitive anions did not significantly affect the adsorption of antimony toward the BP due to its high selectivity. These results suggest that the facile utilization of the BP as a low-cost adsorbent seems to be a practical option for the selective removal of antimony from wastewater.
Highlights
Antimony (Sb) has been known as a toxic substance since it can pose acute and chronic toxicity to living organisms [1,2,3]
This study aims to assess the feasibility of the brucite (magnesium hydroxide)-rich precipitate (BP) generated in a hypochlorous storage tank in a nuclear power plant as a low-cost adsorbent to immobilize antimony in surface water or wastewater
The XRD results of the BP were in good agreement with the typical properties of magnesium hydroxide
Summary
Antimony (Sb) has been known as a toxic substance since it can pose acute and chronic toxicity to living organisms [1,2,3]. Various types of iron-based and/or aluminum-based adsorbents have been developed to immobilize antimony in drinking and wastewater [8]. Iron and aluminum are known to be useful for removing antimony in water due to their high reactivity and adsorption capacity with antimony [7,9,10]. Their removal of antimony in surface water and/or wastewater can be significantly interfered with by other anions such as arsenic, phosphate, Energies 2020, 13, 4493; doi:10.3390/en13174493 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
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