Arsenic (As) and manganese (Mn) commonly coexist in nature and are well known to have high carcinogenic and neurotoxicity effects. Therefore, many regulatory agencies impose a maximum contamination level for As and Mn in water at 10 and 400 μg L-1, respectively. Additionally, since As and Mn often occur together, there is a need for a method that can simultaneously remove As and Mn. However, currently, As is removed using iron oxide, and Mn is removed using Mn oxide. These methods suffer from decreased removal efficiency over time and have limitations in effectively removing As(III), which is more toxic, mobile, and difficult to eliminate. Therefore, a method is needed that can effectively and simultaneously remove As(III) and Mn. In this study, we investigated the simultaneous oxidation and removal of As(III) and Mn2+(aq) using a photocatalytic reaction with hematite. The reason we used hematite is that it is one of the most abundant iron oxides in the crust and has a favorable band gap of 2.1 eV, making it suitable for photocatalytic oxidation using sunlight. We found that 0.1 g/L hematite can simultaneously and rapidly oxidize 89 μM As(III) and 44 μM Mn2+(aq) through photocatalytic process under natural sunlight. Additionally, we confirmed that a positive hole is the primary pathway for the oxidation of As(III) and Mn2+(aq). Our finding provides that As(III) and Mn2+(aq) can be effectively removed using hematite from aquatic systems contaminated with As(III) and Mn2+(aq). Moreover, our finding provides insights to understand the redox processes among As(III/V), Mn2+(aq), and hematite in natural environments.
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