Shrimp shell as a potential sorbent for removal of arsenic from aqueous solution

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This study examined the ability of shrimp shell to remove arsenic (As) from aqueous solutions. The shells of two species of shrimp, black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon and white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, were chosen to be the sorbents. Laboratory exposure experiments estimated uptake and depuration rate constants (i.e., k 1 and k 2) as well as the bioconcentration factors (BCF) of the shells of the two shrimps. A first-order one-compartment model was presented to describe the uptake kinetics of As in shrimp shell. The resulting k 1, k 2, and BCF values of black tiger shrimp were 0.034–1.722 ml/g/day, 0.007–0.345 g/g/day, and 5.08 ± 1.56 ml/g, while those for white shrimp were 0.053–0.523 ml/g/day, 0.011–0.237 g/g/day, and 3.95 ± 1.88 ml/g, respectively. The sorption capacities of black tiger shrimp shell and white shrimp shell were 1.08 × 10−4–6.66 × 10−3 and 1.04 × 10−4–3.26 × 10−3 mmol/g, respectively. The sorption capacity of shrimp shell increased with the initial As concentration in water. Shrimp shell, as a waste material, could be potentially used for the removal of As from an aqueous medium. Although the As-removal capacity of shrimp shell was lower than those of natural and chemical sorbents, using shrimp shells as sorbents is less expensive and could increase the additional value of shrimp products.