Synchronous Removal of Arsenic and Fluoride from Aqueous Solution: A Facile Approach to Fabricate Novel Functional Metallopolymer Microspheres.

Abstract

Concurrence of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F–) ions in groundwater is a serious concern due to their fatal effects. Herein, an attempt was made to fabricate quaternized poly(zirconyl dimethacrylate-co-vinylbenzyl chloride)] (ZrVBZ), a metallopolymeric microsphere in three-dimensional shape with a porous texture. The synthesized ZrVBZ was utilized for the synchronal removal of As and F– from water. Techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area were used to characterize the ZrVBZ. The maximum adsorption capacity of ZrVBZ for both fluoride and arsenic (qmax F–: 116.5 mg g–1, qmax As(V): 7.0 mg g–1, and qmax As(III): 6.5 mg g–1) at given experimental conditions (adsorbents’ dose: 0.250 g L–1, feed of F–: 50 mg L–1, As(V)/As(III): 2000 μg L–1, and pH: 7.0 ± 0.2) was ascribed to the porous spherical architecture with dual functional sites to facilitate adsorption. The adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics with a correlation coefficient of 0.996, 0.997, and 0.990 for F–, As(V), and As(III), respectively. The isotherm data fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model, and the maximum capacity was 121.5, 7.246, and 6.68 mg g–1 for F–, As(V), and As(III), respectively. The results of this study indicated that ZrVBZ could be used as an effective adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of F–, As(V), and As(III) from an aqueous medium.